Aguamenti
by derasorea
Summary: Except for the Nanases and the Tachibanas, everyone thinks Nanase Haruka is strange. He's too quiet, too creative with his hands, too odd around water. He wants nothing more than be left alone and be considered ordinary. One day, he accidentally makes a swimming pool boil and is told he's a wizard. From then on, nothing is ever the same.
1. The Boy Who Dived

_Aguamenti_  
A Free! and Harry Potter Crossover

—

_Notes_

Aguamenti is an AU where Makoto, Gou, and Seijuro are Gryffindors; Rin is a Slytherin; Miss Amakata, Rei, and Nagisa are Ravenclaws; Coach Sasabe, Haru, and Nitori are Hufflepuffs. It all started from a sorting oneshot I made one rainy night, an attempt to explain Haru x H20, and a wish for Nagisa to prank everyone with his magic, because he so would. It is where the stories of Harry and Haruka meet, and then some: the main theme is friendship, cloaked in fantasy, adventure, sports, and romance.___  
_

It's okay, Haru. I promise there will be a pool.

No copyright infringement is intended. All publicly recognizable characters, items, events, places, et cetera, are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot of _Free!_ and _High Speed!_ are the property of Kyoto Animation, Hiroko Utsumi and her team, and Koji Oji. JK Rowling owns my soul and _Harry Potter_. Please support the original releases.

**Part One:** _The Brook Pensieve_ is about Haruka's first year in Hogwarts. Together with Makoto, Rin, a mystical dog, and some of the greatest wizards the world has known, Haru will come to terms with his very special abilities, his past, and his future.

**Part Two:** _The Rains of Rue_ is about Haruka's second year in Hogwarts. Nagisa, Rei, Gou, and Nitori begin their Hogwarts education, more friendships and a new school club are formed, and Haruka begins warming up to people more. Unbeknownst to him, the more time he spends with one of his new "friends", the more he risks himself to danger and expulsion from the school.

**Part Three:** _The Opal Sea_ is about Haruka's sixth year in Hogwarts. The busiest year yet for everyone, in terms of exams, adventure, and love. An interschool competition turns into private battles of winning people's favors and affection. I haven't really outlined all chapters for this part, but one certain thing: the ships will sail in this.

—

Please keep Haru and I in check_._ While many of the chapters are already outlined, I'd like to know your suggestions and opinions. Critiques or hellos, your thoughts are much appreciated. :)

* * *

Part One  
Haruka Nanase and the Brook Pensieve

Chapter 1:  
THE BOY WHO DIVED

People in the harbortown of Iwatobi thought Haruka Nanase was a strange boy. He did not speak much, he very rarely smiled, and he smelled of chlorine and mackerel every day_._ There were only two families in the town who did not think Haruka was unusual at all: first, his own, and second, the Tachibanas, who had long understood and given in to Haruka's odd wishes. The boy kindly requested to sleep in the family's bathtub once during a sleepover, and Mrs. Tachibana promptly prepared the tub and a water pillow for him, plus a mackerel-and-tomato salad for a midnight snack. Haruka was best friends since kindergarten with Makoto, the Tachibanas' eldest son.

Tall for his age, considerate and sensible, Makoto had bright green eyes and a keen understanding of Haruka's mind. He was a very kind boy. He never really thought of Haruka as strange even if his friend had the habit of getting into any body of liquid large enough for him to soak in. (Why, Haruka once dipped his feet into Mrs. Sasaki's three-legged iron pot, claiming his soles were feeling dry. Makoto whisked him right away in panic. That day, the Sasakis thought their chicken broth tasted funny.) Instead, Makoto felt his friend was special, and noted that Haruka could be unbelievably reckless and graceful both with water when left alone.

Understanding at a young age Haruka's connection with water, Makoto had suggested that they join the town's swim club together.

"I can swim in the pool all day?" Haruka asked. He had neat black hair and a rather solemn face, and his eyes were a distinct bluish-steel. They were in first grade then, painting egg shells during art class.

"No, Haru, not all day," Makoto whispered back, marveling at the beautiful scale pattern Haruka was making on his eggshell. Earlier, Makoto had tried to copy Haruka, but he held his eggshell too tightly in his hand and it broke. He contented himself with painting only green and yellow spots on the replacement eggshell their teacher gave him. "Only during practice hours. But you get to swim most days somewhere bigger than a bathtub or inflatable pool. Fun, right?"

"I only swim free."

"You can swim freestyle, that'd be no problem. Dad said we'd be paying a bit of a membership fee and buy our own swimming gear, though. But he said it's ok with him and Mom—"

"I can really swim in the pool all day?"

"Haru, I think you're not listening to me," Makoto sighed. "I was talking about—"

"All right. I'm in."

They'd been swimming in the club and joining school tournaments since.

* * *

One Saturday afternoon in July, Haruka and Makoto were walking home from the Iwatobi Swim Club after practice. Haruka seemed troubled as they walked across the town port to Misagozaki Shrine, and Makoto wondered why.

"Ah, Haru. About the tournament," Makoto said cheerfully, feeling there was something about the upcoming August prefecturals that was bothering Haruka. "I'm feeling nervous," he said, looking straight ahead at the sea kissed golden by the afternoon sun. "We're in sixth grade, which means it's our last chance to win. If only_—_"

"Makoto." Haruka stopped walking. _Sasabe's dismayed because I'm not joining the prefecturals. Today's my last practice_. "I quit the swim club."

Makoto screamed.

Haruka's brow furrowed. Makoto was probably disappointed or angry, or both, at what he did, but to make such a fuss and call the attention of fishermen hauling their boats nearby was senseless and distasteful, and he wanted to kick him in the leg for that. He turned around, his face cold but careful, vile words forming in his tongue_...  
_

But Makoto was not beside him. His friend was sprinting toward the sea. Haruka felt his insides clench when he saw why. The sea was a beautiful liquid gold today and his mind was busy that he did not notice a girl in the water. She was motionless and wide-eyed, about to drown.

* * *

"Stupid," Haruka grunted as he ran to their aid as well. Makoto feared the sea. A summer storm years ago had killed a fisherman that was Makoto's friend from the next town, and many others also perished that night. But his friend was there now, dashing intrepidly_, _to rescue someone from the waters, someone young and unsupervised. He was irritated beyond capacity._ Why is that girl in there alone?_

But Haruka felt relieved when he saw the girl, who looked about their age, safe in the shore with Makoto drenched and breathing heavily beside her. "It's okay, you're safe now. Don't cry," he heard Makoto telling the girl kindly.

"Thank you very much for saving me," the girl sniffled. She had brown hair like Makoto, amber eyes, and very pale skin.

Makoto smiled, but Haruka noticed how pale he had turned and that he was shaking from head to foot. "No problem. What's your name?"

"I'm Hitomi."

"Okay, Hitomi," Makoto said. "Just don't go back to the sea with no one to look after you, okay? Did you come here alone?" When Hitomi nodded, Makoto looked out the sea nervously.

"How irresponsible," Haruka said. Makoto looked surprised to see that he followed. "Haru?"

Probably it was the flatness in his voice or the displeased look in his face, Haruka thought, that caused Hitomi to edge closer to Makoto, stare down at the sand, and keep very, very quiet. She even stopped crying.

Haruka looked at Makoto. "You, as well. Running off alone like that without telling me what you saw, or calling the fishermen for help."

Makoto scratched his head. "Well, I shouted somehow, and yet nobody else noticed or came except you," he reasoned. Haruka thought he had a point there. Why didn't anybody else come? He looked around. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to them.

_It's as if they don't see us_, he thought.

"I panicked, I guess. Sorry, Haru. I just wanted to help."

Haruka snorted. "We're not superheroes or wizards, Makoto."

"Yeah, I know. I'll try not to be stupid again," Makoto smiled, reading into Haruka's thoughts. Makoto knew he had simply been worried. Haruka was a quiet person, but he was very direct to the point and could be quite harsh when agitated.

Haruka walked over to Hitomi and said, a little more softly: "Why were you swimming alone?" He knelt to meet the girl's eyes and draped his club jacket over her shivering shoulders. He combed his bag, pulled his last remaining clean towel, and handed it to Makoto in silence.

"I was_—_I was looking for my necklace," Hitomi replied.

Haruka and Makoto looked at one another.

"A necklace?" Makoto asked. "What kind?"

"It had a pearl in it," Hitomi answered, fidgeting with the inflatable armbands she had on. "Just one white pearl, and a long black cord. I think it was lost around"_—_Hitomi pointed to a distance Haruka estimated to be fifty meters away from the shore_—_"there".

"Wait," she said again. "I think I lost it there." She stretched out a hand and squinted. "Farther away."

"You should have asked your parents to come," Haruka said coldly.

Hitomi squirmed in Haruka's jacket. "M-mother forbade me to return here. I just wanted to see a light from the water, I see it from our house everyday, it was very near to the shore at first, you see... I didn't realize I was going to the middle of the sea, I mean the light was _moving_, I was just followi_—_"

"You went to the water to follow a _light_?" Makoto asked, surprised.

"I don't like liars," Haruka said.

"I'm not lying! I swear I had the necklace earlier! It used to be mom's. Now I lost it because of the stupid light. I'm an idiot!" Hitomi was crying again.

Haruka keenly looked at her.

"You're from the swim club," Hitomi said, touching Haruka's jacket. "W-will you_—_ will you help me, please? I just need that necklace back," she sobbed, "or Mom will be very angry with me."

Makoto hesitated. "Er, Hitomi, I think that would be a bit difficult to do..."

_Too much effort_, Haruka thought, but then he found himself taking his shirt off and wading to the sea, his feet and skin tingling upon contact with the saltwater. "Wait here with her, Makoto."

He went under the water immediately to drown out Makoto's shouts of protest.

He rode a bike to school, or ran sometimes, and he always walked up and down the steps of the shrine to his home, ate miso and mackerel, and watched the weekend cartoons with his mother. Yet this, this was what truly reminded him he was alive: the rippling, warm waters that also lived and breathed, enveloping him as he swam, as if acknowledging he existed in the world and freeing him from life's useless worries. He flowed with the sea, his eyes darting back and forth. He wondered why on earth someone would go to the sea with important jewelry on. _I need to find that necklace so Makoto and I could go home already_, he thought. _But, this is also home. _

When he resurfaced, he felt pleased for the short but peaceful time he spent with the water, and for finding the lost pearl necklace, earlier lodged between two crevices and now tucked in his right hand. He immediately frowned, however, when he saw people other than Makoto or Hitomi waiting by the shore. Suddenly there seemed to be a lot more people there.

In fact, Haruka realized as he got closer, it looked like half of Iwatobi was waiting for him.

* * *

"Hey, Haru!" said Makoto, running to him and flinging his long arms over his shoulders. "You're all right!" He laughed shakily as he looked back at the aghast onlookers and said "I told you, Haru was okay!"

Haruka realized that the skies had been a much deeper crimson when he got out of the water, and looked around. A five-man group of tall, muscular men with "Beach Rescue" printed on their black shirts looked at him in confusion and exchanged irritated remarks with two policemen. The fishermen from the port were there now also, looking at him like he's a strange, new fish they'd caught. Women and children alike shared expressions of fear, awe, or amusement, muttering and glancing at him repeatedly. Makoto's twin siblings, Ran and Ren, waved at him happily. Makoto's parents were there, too, as were his own: his mother looked calm, while his father looked like he wanted to throw everyone into the sea. Hitomi was gone.

"Haru!" Nerissa Nanase hugged her son tightly, draping a towel over Haruka's head and rubbing his hair. "My, now I want to swim, too."

"Mom?" The tight grasp Haruka had on the necklace loosened as he awkwardly hugged his mother back. He was confused still. "Why are you here?"

"You've been in the water for three hours, Haru," Nerissa replied, her brilliant blue eyes looking down her son fondly. "A little girl kept saying 'The boy who dived has died.' It was nonsense, I said, I told them you were safe, but they would not listen to me or Mako."

Haruka looked back and forth at his mother and best friend. "I've been underwater for three _hours_?"

»o«

* * *

___Next chapter, THE GREEN POOL: When Haru is forbidden to swim, trouble and magic happen._ Chapter postscript_—_headcanon, overthinking, attempts to organize, apologies_—_at derasorea dot word press dot com (see bio).  



	2. The Green Pool

_Aguamenti_  
A Free! and Harry Potter Crossover

Part One  
Haruka Nanase and the Brook Pensieve

Chapter 2:

THE GREEN POOL

Night had fallen over Iwatobi, but Haruka was still bewildered. His father was furious with him. The distinguished, clever, and imperturbable Hisoka Nanase, a man of few words and fewer facial expressions_, _had shown emotion toward him. He allowed himself the tiniest of smiles.

But then there was the issue of his "drowning" at sea. Haruka felt he was gone for only five minutes, but people maintained he was away for hours. According to Makoto, it was Hitomi, fearing she had drowned him and going into a fit, who asked help from the beach rescue team despite Makoto's objections. The team insisted that they conducted a thorough search of the area Hitomi and Makoto pointed he was at, and Haruka swore he didn't stray too far. Why didn't they meet underwater? And Hitomi, Hitomi just disappeared.

"Maybe she already went home so her mother wouldn't be mad," Makoto had said. "I kept my eyes on the water, waiting for you. The last time I saw her was when she returned with the men in black. Sorry, I told her you'd be okay, but she wouldn't listen to me."

The police claimed the pearl necklace.

Hisoka paced their living room in silent fury, and Haruka noticed his father's face had a strange ashen hue. It was as if he didn't dare breathe for hours until Haruka got out of the water safely, and he still wasn't breathing now.

"I told you, Haruka! Never swim in the open sea!" (Of all the people in Haruka's life—and there admittedly were only a very few—only his father could call Haruka by his whole first name and not get a sullen look or a bitter rebuke from Haruka himself. People said that Haruka inherited Nerissa's jet-black hair and blue eyes, but was Hisoka come again in terms of personality. Hisoka was a grave-looking man. He had short brown hair speckled with grey, and had sharp, black eyes. He always wore black-rimmed square glasses, but like Haruka, seldom wore a smile on his face.)

Haruka stared at his grilled mackerel. It was the thirty-second time his father said that tonight. "I just wanted to help the girl," Haruka replied, again.

"How can you_—_how can you be so careless? I had allowed you to swim in the ITSC with Makoto, was that not enough for you? Should I tell Makoto's parents you won't be joining him in practices anymore, Haruka? Swimming in the sea in broad daylight!"

"Makoto and I were about to go home when he saw Hitomi in the sea. He rushed to help her. Was it wrong to help her, Father? Should Makoto have let Hitomi drown?" Haruka tried to keep his voice composed. Why was his father so angry at them for trying to help other people? Wasn't that the right thing to do?

"Haru," his mother said softly. "Hush now, dear, and please eat properly. You're spoiling your mackerel." His mother sat across Haruka from the dining table (his father had refused to eat), her blue eyes warm and understanding. In a quieter voice, she said, "Don't worry, your father is just tired from work."

Tired from work. His father was always working and tired and cold.

"Do not talk to me in that tone, Haruka. You could have died."

"It was the girl who could have died if we didn't help her."

At this, Mr. Nanase bristled. "You didn't need to jump into the sea! You could have called the fishermen—adults, Haruka,_ adults_—for help. You did not need to save her by yourselves."

"Well," Haruka said, putting down his chopsticks, "if some adults were responsible, then we wouldn't have to be on our own."

Mrs. Nanase had the funny feeling that her son was not talking about the fishermen at all.

"Dad, please calm down. Haru is an excellent swimmer," Mrs. Nanase began, only to be cut off by Mr. Nanase's sudden howling. Haruka, surprised, stood up with his mother and ran to Mr. Nanase, who had slumped into the living room floor and began crying madly. "You could have died," his father wept.

"Oh, my," Mrs. Nanase said, patting Mr. Nanase in the back and putting a throw pillow under his head. She went to the kitchen to prepare a pot of strong tea.

Haruka didn't know what to do.

"Father," he tried. "I'm sorry." There was no response.

"I was planning to leave with Makoto after I got the lost necklace from the water. But people_—_"

His father pounced on him, yelping like a wounded animal.

Haruka liked it earlier that his father was angry, for at least the man showed that he felt _something _toward him. But now, he was beginning to feel scared. His father had a wild look in his eyes and was shaking him very roughly by his shoulders. His voice had went down to a bare whisper, as if he feared somebody else would hear what he said. "Did you wear the necklace, Haruka?" he asked.

"Why would I wear a girl's necklace?"

"I am asking you properly and you answer my question with a question?" Mr. Nanase shook his son harder, and Haruka had to close his eyes in pain from his father's tight grasp.

"Stop, Father… I didn't wear the necklace. I just held it in my hand."

Mr. Nanase looked at his son, hesitated, and just said "Very well. Go finish your dinner now." He walked to the sofa and plopped down on it, a hand on his forehead and a very serious expression back on his face. As his shoulders trembled, Haruka realized his father was still crying.

"I'm not hungry anymore," he said. He turned his head to his mother, who stood in the kitchen doorway with a teapot in hand, and said "If I may be excused, Mom," before running upstairs and locking himself in his room.

He spent the night and all of his Sunday just sketching, refusing to open his door to the concerned voice of his mother, and ignoring the delicious scent of mackerel she had repeatedly brought upstairs for his meals.

* * *

On Monday, Mr. Nanase bribed Haruka and Makoto with tuna and chocolate so the boys, who preferred walking now, would ride their bikes to school. "To get away faster from the stares in the streets," Mr. Nanase had said. Haruka was suddenly asked plenty of questions in school, none of them academic in nature, and Trini called him "The Boy Who Dived" thrice in the hallway. Haruka just stayed silent. Makoto asked around the school about Hitomi, but nobody seemed to know her, and he was baffled when the class lists had nobody named "Hitomi" in them. Nagisa, a bubbly fifth grader who was their teammate and who greatly admired Haruka's swimming, tried to cheer them up with a special penguin dance.

On Tuesday, Iwao started the rumor that Haruka was growing his hair long to hide his gills. The boys still rode their bikes to school. Mr. Nanase went home later than usual. Makoto overheard fishermen in the port arguing whether Haruka was or was not indeed a merperson's son. They decided Haruka's father was a merman, because Hisoka seemed "fishy". Haruka huffed at this and told Makoto to stop listening to tall tales.

On Wednesday, the boys were stopped by Mrs. Sasaki. Makoto was scared, but the woman just gave them a basket of peaches, and asked Haruka how he was able to stay underwater for three hours. (Haruka's reply: "I take a very deep breath before diving.") A high school student punctured the wheels of Makoto and Haruka's bikes. Several people were whispering "freaks" and "Look, The Boy Who Dived and his friend!" as they walked by. Two of Haruka's teachers that day actually checked his neck for gills. Haruka decided he hated Iwao. Mr. Nanase came home late again, saying he went on an urgent business with Makoto's father.

On Thursday, Haruka went to buy ice cream with Makoto. He noticed two young girls bowing respectfully to him outside the supermarket. Makoto said he didn't see anything. That night, Mr. Nanase thumped his son in the back good-naturedly when he saw Haruka's sketches of his father ("My, you draw well, son. That's a scary-looking kappa.") He seemed happy, saying business with Mr. Tachibana went well. Mrs. Nanase looked a bit upset.

On Friday, invitations were received by select families in Iwatobi. One was received by the Tachibanas, and one found its way to the Nanases' mailbox. Makoto said he quit the swim club as well, and Haruka didn't speak to him until lunchtime. Nagisa was unusually quiet, too. That day in school, nobody looked at Makoto and Haruka weirdly. Makoto said "Maybe, they forgot what happened last Saturday!" and Haruka responded to him with a very fierce glare. After reading what the invitation contained, Mr. Nanase got angry again ("Why would we go to that new community pool? We have an inflatable pool, a bathtub, and many faucets!") and told his wife and son that he'd had enough of swimming.

* * *

"So, you're not going to the soft opening tomorrow, then?" Makoto asked the next day, sitting side-by-side with Haruka on the highest step of the shrine, petting a little white kitten he named Snowball. They had just finished homework in Makoto's house, and got out because Ren and Ran kept braiding their hair together.

"No," Haruka replied darkly. "Father won't let me."

Makoto had wanted to ask Haruka about the reason behind his decision to quit the swim club, but decided that, like the previous days, this was not probably the best time to do so. "Then I'm not going with Mom and Dad tomorrow as well," Makoto said. "We can just play computer games at home if you want."

"When will you stop doing the same things with me?"

"Never, I think." Makoto just laughed when Haruka glowered at him.

"You quit the swim club just because I did, and now you won't go to the new pool."

"Well, swimming's not the same without you," Makoto said solemnly. Haruka averted his gaze and looked down, as if he suddenly found the cracks in the stone steps extremely interesting. "And actually," Makoto continued, "the new pool seems pretty boring, you know. We've been to pools countless times."

"But I'd like to go and swim in_ that_ pool," Haruka muttered.

"Hmmm," said Makoto. "Have you told Uncle Hisoka of our decision yet?"

"No."

"If Uncle Hisoka knows you quit swimming, he might let you see the pool as a reward or something."

"That's ironic," Haruka said, but he secretly agreed with Makoto.

"Well, then," Makoto said, reading Haruka's mind, "Good luck Haru-ch, I mean, Haru! Go tell Uncle."

And then the two boys parted for dinner.

* * *

"Ok, you can go."

_I can?_ Haruka thought, his heart leaping with joy. He casually announced at dinner that he quit the swim club. His mother looked at him in surprise, while his father peered from his book with an approving face. He was still thinking of a good explanation to why he should be allowed to go to the new pool when his father said he could.

"But your mother and I are going with you. And you will do no swimming," his father declared.

They all rose early the next day. It was a bright, cloudless Sunday, and the Nanases, together with nine more families, other guests, and a media crew, went to Harborsplash Iwatobi for its soft launch. Haruka was in a sour mood, but he still was overwhelmed by how beautiful the new place was. It was four times larger than the whole of Iwatobi Swim Club complex, it had two types of shallower children's pools, a large indoor heated pool, two outdoor pools, a jacuzzi, and an artificial waterfall with brightly colored_ koi_. It also had its own restaurant and lodge house.

The Tachibana siblings greeted Haruka happily as their parents conversed with Haruka's. "Let's go swimming, Haru-chan!" Ran said excitedly, twirling in her starfish print swimsuit.

"I'm not allowed to swim today, Ran. Sorry," Haruka replied. Makoto looked at him in concern and herded the twins away to his father. "We'll play noodle jousting later, promise!" Haruka heard Makoto saying to his siblings.

"What happened, Haru?"

"Nothing happened."

The two boys observed swimmers in Harborsplash's gleaming indoor pool. Mrs. Nanase, whose long, wet hair looked like a gleaming black waterfall, had pulled in her very reluctant husband into the water. When she swam, people stopped talking or diverted their gazes from the buffet table to look at her, awed at her flowing, elegant form. Harborsplash's owner, Mr. Nakino, remarked in amazement: "Wonderful. So her young dolphin got it all from her." Meanwhile, Mr. Nanase was shaking in the water, and kept mouthing "No swimming" at his son.

Haruka's self-control was wavering. _I want to swim…_

"Haven't you noticed, Haru?"

"What?"

"The people. They're not talking about _it_ anymore."

"I don't know what you mean," Haruka said, but Makoto knew Haruka did.

"I'm not saying it's not good, but you know it's a little strange," Makoto said. "The town was practically thriving with tales of you as The Boy Who Dived until three days ago. But everyone seems to have forgotten the necklace incident now."

Haruka sighed. "Will you quit that? People _don't_ forget. They're just not talking now because Father is here." _Probably, _he thought. His father was an esteemed hydrologist. Despite being reserved, people thought Hisoka was a brilliant engineer and respected him._  
_

"I didn't mean everyone _here,_" Makoto argued. "I meant the whole town. Iwao was kind to you again, didn't you notice? Mrs. Sasaki looked surprised when I returned the basket to her, saying she doesn't remember giving us fruit, and the boy who punctured our bikes gave me sweets yesterday. It's—it's weird."

"Your imagination is what's weird," Haruka said. Makoto was a boy who got easily scared. Given the opportunity, his imagination would run wild until he began seeing strange things in the most simple of places, and he would stiffen in a corner in fear. This was why he only watched scary movies with Haruka, who thought girls coming out of wells seemed a pretty stupid idea for scaring people.

"I came just to spite Father," he said, attempting to stop Makoto with his people-forgetting nonsense.

Makoto sighed. He wanted to swim with Haruka that day, but if he had to prevent his friend from leaping into the pool so Hisoka would not be mad, he would. "Don't, Haru," he advised.

"Yeah. I don't want to upset Mom anymore," Haruka said, staring at his parents. "Come," he said, standing up. "The twins are calling you."

* * *

Makoto, accompanied by his mother, took the twins to one of the children's pools to play. They chose the one farther from the indoor pool, a square one with turtle pictures on the tiles. Haruka sat quietly by the poolside with Mrs. Tachibana, watching the four-year old twins exchange rides on Makoto's back.

"Aunt Nerissa must have thought she could change Uncle's mind and make you swim later, so don't worry, Haru," Makoto said encouragingly, while he wiggled a foam noodle at Ren.

"That tickles, onii-chan!" Ren cried, then he proceeded to do the same to his twin. Lots of playful shrieking and loud splashing ensued, with Makoto groaning loudest as the twins pinned him down.

"Yeah," he said, looking away from Makoto, away from the water, away from sibling bonding he knew he'd never get to experience. "I'll go get drinks," he mumbled. A lump had seemed to form in his throat.

As he walked back toward the buffet table, he passed by the other kiddie pool area, the one closer to the indoor pool. He peeked inside, curious as to how it looked. _If it's empty, I'll go for a quick dip._ He saw a smaller, circular pool with dolphin designs in the tiles. It was empty, except for a young couple and a small boy who looked around Ran and Ren's age. The boy managed to climb out of the pool by himself, jumping up and down the tiles happily.

To Haruka's horror, the boy slipped, falling down on his bottom with a surprised look in his face. He didn't cry out, though, and didn't seem to be hurt. He quickly stood up and jumped at every blue tile again. The couple did not notice the boy doing this all the while. Haruka saw the man trail his lips on the woman's neck.

_Notice the child_, he thought angrily. _Notice the child or you will be sorry._ He walked inside the pool area, glaring at the couple, hoping they would notice and stop kissing. To his surprise, green moss began growing out of nowhere, covering the circular pool's surface like a blanket. When the couple still remained unconcerned by this, Haruka felt disgusted. _You're not looking after your responsibility and you are dirtying the water, _he thought as he fixed them a much sterner stare. The man's lips left the woman's neck to say: "Is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?"

"It's probably just you in your polka dot speedo, honey," the woman teased, "because I'm feeling warmer—"

"NO, HOT!" The woman suddenly shouted, scrambling in the water, "The w-water's hot! Boiling! And—", she said, horrified, "G-GREEN! Ahhhh!"

With their skins turning red from the water's heat, the couple tried getting out of the pool, but Haruka noticed that every time they tried to come out, the water seemed to smack them back down. The couple exchanged terrified shouts with one another. _Is the water helping me?_ Haruka thought. He felt the water become hot, although he refused to believe it _boiled_, and he wondered where the moss came from.

When he tore away his eyes from the water to hold out a hand to the little boy, the pool calmed down and stopped boiling. The woman, crying, frantically got out of the water. The man was in a daze.

"You're—YOU'RE A MONSTER!" The woman roared to Haruka, snatching away the little boy from him. "You're that water freak kid everyone's talking about, aren't you? Get away from my son!"

Haruka didn't notice that people were coming in. A camera began flashing furiously.

"Haru," a trembling voice called. Haruka turned and saw Makoto nervously huddled among the other guests, who all were looking at him and the pool area in shock and fear.

Mr. Nakino looked like he was about to faint. "What have you done to my pool?"

* * *

Makoto and Haruka's fathers came running.

"We have to do it again, partner," Mr. Nanase said to Mr. Tachibana gravely. Mr. Tachibana nodded, and Haruka saw each of them whip out what looked like more ornate versions of a drum stick. Mr. Tachibana pointed his wand to the mossy pool, asked Haruka to step aside, and mumbled complicated, incomprehensible words. To everyone's surprise, the moss vanished, and water that swamped various parts of the pool area had gone as well. In one flick of the wand, the area looked as clean and new as it had been. He then pointed the wand at the cameraman.

Mr. Nakino fainted, while one of the guests called Mrs. Deshi started screaming "WHAT IN THE NAME OF—"

But everyone ignored her, for Mr. Nanase raised his wand high up in the air and bellowed a curious word that sounded like _Obliviate_. After a minute of stunned silence, everyone blinked at one another in confusion, muttering (mainly "Why did we go to this pool? The food's outside"), and leaving the kiddie pool area in jovial spirits. It was as if nothing strange happened.

The couple who Haruka just almost cooked alive kissed again, this time hugging the little boy between them.

"Happy anniversary, honey."

* * *

The ribbon-cutting ceremony had finished, the live band played ten sets, more food was served, all pools had been swum in, and then it was time to go home. "Thank you very much for coming!" Mr. Nakino said as his fleshy hands grasped Mr. Nanase's.

At six in the evening, there was a very awkward silence in the Tachibanas' house, where Mr. Tachibana and Mr. Nanase had vowed earlier to explain things. Ran and Ren immediately began arguing over who'd get to sit with Haruka in the couch. (Ran won.) Makoto, refusing to meet his father's eyes or Haruka's, gripped his foam noodle so hard until it broke to pieces. Mrs. Tachibana and Mrs. Nanase busied themselves in the kitchen, while their husbands sat in silence with the children, wondering where to start.

"So, what you just did in Harborsplash—" Makoto began. He choked back a nervous laugh. "We don't understand."

"What we did there was magic," Mr. Nanase said simply, "and you'll understand it soon enough."

Haruka frowned. His father never joked, he knew. And he _himself_ made the water become hot, had he not? He made moss appear out of nowhere. And the day before he quit the swim club… Haruka brushed these things off his mind and tried to think of other reasons, something more logical and believable, to explain what just happened in the children's pool. He came up with none.

"B-but," Makoto said, looking down his hands. "Why? How?"

"We're wizards," Mr. Tachibana said, so casually he could have just said that the sky was blue. "You are, too."

»o«

* * *

_For notes on Harborsplash and Hisoka Nanase, please read chapter postscript at derasorea dot wordpress dot com (see bio)._


	3. Haruka's Guardians

_Aguamenti_  
A Free! and Harry Potter Crossover

Part One  
Haruka Nanase and the Brook Pensieve

Chapter 3:

HARUKA'S GUARDIANS

"I can't be a wizard," Haruka and Makoto said at the same time.

Makoto's eyes were on his own shorts peppered with broken pieces of foam. Haruka had always been unique and skilled. Even before he dived for the lost pearl necklace, Makoto knew his friend was special. As for himself... he sure was taller than most sixth graders, he thought, but a _few inches_ didn't make someone all too great. He couldn't remember a single time he was able to do magic. How could he be a wizard, when even reading about cauldrons and pickled frogs and cobwebs scared him! His father must be wrong. A wizard or witch was brave and skilled, the fantasy books told, and Makoto felt he wasn't like that at all. "I can't be a wizard," he repeated sadly, an air of certainty in his tone. "I've never done anything magical, Dad."

Minoru Tachibana looked at Makoto, his brown eyes twinkling behind his glasses. "Remember that time when Ran fell down the stairs?"

"She didn't fall, Dad. I was there, I saw. She floated until she got safely to the bottom step."

"Yes, indeed, she did. You didn't know it, but you saved your sister."

Makoto finally looked up at everyone. "_I_ made Ran float? But you said it was just a strong, sudden gust of wind..."

Mr. Nanase spoke. "Like Haruka, you have done magic before, Makoto. Bits and pieces, all sudden or unconscious, but magic still."

"So, I-I'm a wizard as well, like Haru?" His eyes shone.

Mr. Tachibana chuckled. "Yes, you are."

Makoto beamed and looked at Haruka. "Haru, we can do magic! Can I make Ran float again, Dad?"

—

Haruka, sheltered in silence, often wondered about a lot of things. He pondered most about how it would feel like to be ordinary. All his life, he had been the strange one: he was too quiet to be around with, too talented with lines and colors, too obsessed with fish, too crazy and skilled around water. His parents weren't that _normal _either: his mother also became really excited around large bodies of water, and he had a genius engineer for a father who people either feared or respected, but never quite talked to. Even his best friend Makoto, he thought, seemed strange for always putting up with someone like him.

His late grandmother once taught him a saying:

_ When you're ten, you're called a prodigy._

_ When you're fifteen, you're a genius._

_ When you're twenty, you're just an ordinary person._

How he was looking forward to being twenty. To being finally ordinary. But no, at age eleven, somebody just had to tell him he was a wizard.

All hopes of being ordinary had gone.

Haruka stared at the floor, which Makoto had littered with bits of foam noodle. If he indeed made the pool boil and hurt others because of magic, then it was strange, being a wizard. He decided he didn't care if his father, Mr. Tachibana, or even Makoto did magic tricks, as long as he himself stopped.

He didn't want to be a wizard at all.

Haruka stood up and faced the two bespectacled grown-ups. "Why are you telling us this only now?"

He was met with only silence and anxious looks.

"I don't want to do magic, nor do I want to be a wizard," Haruka said. "Take it away, Father. Powers, or magic, or whatever nonsense you're calling it."

From the dining table, Mrs. Nanase and Mrs. Tachibana fixed him a curious stare.

"I don't want any of it. I just_—_I just want to be an ordinary boy."

Plates Nerissa was carrying came crashing to the floor.

* * *

For days after being told he was able to do magic, Haruka groveled, shouted at his father, ate red meat instead of fish, refused to take a bath, locked himself in his room, and even threatened to flood their house.

Yet, his father remained resolute. Magical ability could not be taken away, Mr. Nanase said. Haruka had noticed that his father seemed sad when he said that.

A week later, Mr. Nanase brought home a large dog with sleek black fur and blue eyes. It looked frightening. He took it to Haruka's room. "Name him, Haruka," he said. His son seemed too stunned to even frown or glare, but after a minute, Haruka asked, "Why, Father?"

Hisoka just nodded and pointed to the dog. Haruka, who was then eating toast and mackerel, offered some to it. The dog stopped its growling and happily took the food, licking Haruka's fingers and cheek. "You like mackerel, too, huh?" Haruka said, ruffling its fur. "Sabainu."

"Very well. Sabainu's yours."

"Thank you, Father." Haruka said this so formally. He hesitated, then asked again, "Why did you buy me a pet?"

"He's not a pet. He's your guardian, meant to keep you safe." With this, Mr. Nanase slid out of Haruka's room. His mother entered next and told him everything would be all right.

_When you have the ability to wipe people's memories away in case something goes wrong, _he thought bitterly_, everything will definitely be all right. _His father had modified the memories of everyone involved in the pearl necklace and Harborsplash incidents. But those people were not Haruka's concern now.

"It won't be, Mom," he said. "Sooner or later, I will accidentally hurt my classmates and more people with this magic I can't control."

"Don't worry, Haru. You'll be studying in a new school with people of your kind. And your inu_—_"

"I'll be transferring from Iwatobi Elementary?" Haruka asked, shocked. He wondered if Makoto would transfer, too, when they were just a few months away from graduation. "To where?"

There was a sudden yell. Mr. Nanase slipped in the bathroom and broke his foot. As mother and son rushed to his aid, the conversation about schools was forgotten.

* * *

"Neri, what were you thinking?" Mr. Nanase said later that night, as his wife changed his bandages. His voice was tinged with grief and bore no anger at all. Haruka was already asleep in his room.

Nerissa wept. "Dad, I can't bear to see him this lonely and helpless anymore, let us tell him the truth, I'll find a way to_—_"

"You know what would happen if Haru knew the truth," Hisoka said. "We will _lose_ him. I will lose you. We have no choice." He was crying, too.

Nerissa's voice trembled. "You_—_you've sent owls already?"

Hisoka nodded. "McGonagall's letter was succint but kind."

"Haru is still in shock," Nerissa said worriedly. "It's good he's not supposed to get his Hogwarts letter until his twelfth birthday. If news of Hogwarts came to him right now, it will be too much for him. You alone are becoming unbearable," she scolded Hisoka. She sighed. "I wish you were more open with your feelings to him, Dad. I know you want to watch _Macky the Mackerel_ with him, too."

"I do," Hisoka said softly. He looked away. "Regarding letters, I plan to send the whole lot to Haru soon. British children usually receive their Hogwarts acceptance letter on their eleventh birthday, and Haru _is_ eleven anyway, so_—_"

Surprised, Nerissa pulled the bandage too tightly and Hisoka grimaced. "What do you mean by 'soon'?" she demanded. "And _you_ will send them all? I thought you only sent owls to ask for help guarding the house! Not this. That pact of yours said he'd get the letter and be in Hogwarts _next year_."

"He'll be going to Hogwarts next year. I still am with you that he should first finish his primary education here in Japan. It's only the letters he's receiving."

"Why?"

"We're leaving soon, and I want him to understand."

Now Nerissa deliberately tugged at her husband's ointment-sodden bandages in irritation. "Hisoka, we cannot leave our son alone like this, the poor boy! The pact promised we need not leave him until he was twelve. Haru knows nothing!"

"That is precisely the reason why I requested McGonagall and Kurosawa to send their letters earlier to me. It's time Haru starts knowing the details."

"Knowing his past and future from an acceptance letter… I wish we were able to tell him the stories ourselves," Nerissa said, her eyes welling up again.

"I wish the same. But we had sworn not to tell, Neri, you know this. Reading the letters, at least, is a good start." Hisoka stared at his foot, but it was not the part of his body that anguished him so. _His son, who he had treated indifferently for years..._

"We're leaving in three days," he said quietly.

"WHAT?"

"You've seen the circular pool. You've seen the necklace, Neri. You have felt your power growing stronger each day after he recovered it from the sea. If we don't leave soon, they'd be able to find both of you faster. My strength may prove to be insufficient, especially now that I just summoned his inugami."

Nerissa looked at her husband, a hard expression upon her face. "I am _not_ leaving Haruka. Try asking me again next year, when he's finally in safe hands in Britain. Or, forget about his graduation and send him there now. He's teaching there, isn't he? I'll send them an owl myself_—_"

Hisoka met her eyes gravely. "Neri. You know we can't do that without drawing suspicions. Until we uncover the truth about the necklace, our presence will only keep endangering Haru. This is the only way."

Nerissa looked out the window. Her hair flowed softly down her back and hid away her face from Hisoka. After a while, she turned back to him.

It was no use arguing, she knew. Hisoka was right.

"You've talked with Minoru and Natsuki?" she asked.

Hisoka nodded. "They've accepted. Minoru is like a brother to me, and his eldest boy treats Haru the same way. He will stay with them until September 1 of next year."

"Haru's presence in their home can put them in danger as well. Their family has done so much for us_—_"

"Minoru and I have met with Kurosawa and Ministry officials. Our request for protection was accepted."

"I'll still get to see Haru?" she asked again. "It does not need to be every day_—_even from afar I'd like to see_—_"

"We will see him," her husband responded lovingly. "I will not let them take even that pleasure away from us."

"Then I'm going with you," she said determinedly.

A room away, Haruka tossed fitfully in his sleep. Sabainu the inugami howled sorrowfully and climbed to Haruka's bed, laying a paw against his master's forehead until Haruka calmed down.

»o«

* * *

_To know more about the Japanese inugami and Makoto's parents, please read chapter postcript at derasorea dot wordpress dot com (see bio). Q__uoted in this chapter is Haruka's grandma's saying from episode 1 of the anime._


	4. Seven Letters

_Aguamenti_  
A Free! and Harry Potter Crossover

Part One  
Haruka Nanase and the Brook Pensieve

Chapter 4:

SEVEN LETTERS

It had been more than three months since his parents left for Tokyo.

Haruka gazed at the bathroom ceiling. It was the usual of nights; the bathtub, scrubbed clean and filled with water, and him in it, flat and unmoving, on a descent into calm and detachment. Eyes closed, pulse steady, he had bidden himself to not remember. The water felt warm and safe.

He didn't hear the footsteps, nor notice a flutter of wings outside the windows.

"Haru?"

Hisoka had told him he had to move to the capital because of work. Promotion, his father had said. A higher salary, a more secure future for their family. This news disturbed Haruka greatly, but when his mother insisted to accompany his father to the city, it was too much. After they left, he did something he had never done before. He cried, feeling grateful that sadness had a liquid form.

"Haru, I'm coming in now, ok? I have something important to tell you."

_He would let the water take him away and forget._ Underwater, he didn't have to think of his parents. How they were doing, the occasional calls, his mother's grilled mackerel that was his most favorite in the world, their faith in him. They trusted him, he believed, or else they would not bear being away. At least it was what he was always telling himself. Being angry would accomplish nothing, and he was very tired.

"Ow, sorry for stepping on your tail, Sabainu! Wait, is_—_is that an owl again? Haru! There's an owl! It got letters, too!"

The bathroom door slid open, and Makoto's head poked in.

"Have you been in the bathtub again since lunch?" Makoto asked, extending out a hand to which Haruka grabbed on to.

"Yes."

This had become a routine for the two boys since Haruka's parents left. As Mr. Nanase asked the Tachibanas to be Haruka's guardians, Haruka usually ate and slept at their house. Makoto's parents allowed Haruka to go back to his own house, however, knowing he wanted to be left alone to soak and think. When it was time for meals, Makoto would fetch him. Haruka, who wore his black-and-purple jammers to the bathtub, always gave Makoto a particularly vicious scowl for pulling him out the water. Still, he would always take his hand.

"I forgot Sabainu sleeps by the bathroom door when you're inside. Anyway, dinner's ready so let's go home. Mom prepared a lot, saying I'm not eleven every day, and you have an owl waiting outside the window."

It was November 17, Makoto's eleventh birthday. Haruka remembered too well. Especially since the twins had competed who could sing "Happy birthday" louder, earlier that morning. But, owls?

Haruka walked to his bedroom, toweling his hair dry. Sure enough, a large scops owl was waiting impatiently by his windowsill, tapping against the glass. It had thick letters in its beak, and some were rolled and tied to its legs. Haruka opened the window, retrieved the letters, and Makoto bade a cheerful farewell to the owl.

"What are these about?"

"Acceptance letter to our new school next year! A school of magic, Haru! I received mine a while ago, as well. But," Makoto said, looking at the stack, "I only got one. You don't suppose the other letters are from your parents?"

Haruka opened the one on top first, a yellowish envelope, and said "Why would they send letters when they can just call me?" In the envelope, addressed to _Mr. Nanase H., The Largest Bathtub, 18 Halfway-Up-Misagozaki Shrine, Town of Iwatobi,_ was a letter written in green ink both in English and Japanese:

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**_

_**Headmistress: MINERVA MCGONAGALL**_

_**Dear Mr. Nanase, We are pleased to inform you that your request to study for the next academic year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been accepted. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We look forward to seeing you next year.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Hermione Weasley**_

_**Deputy Headmistress**_

Haruka stared at the letter in wonder and let Makoto read it as well. Makoto was surprised. "I_—_my letter_—_I received a letter from a school called _Mahoutokoro, _and the headmistress' name is different…"

"'Must be one of Father's many options for me," Haruka said. He picked up another envelope, this time a pinkish one with his name addressed in Japanese, beautifully embossed in silver.

"Oh," Makoto said excitedly, "that's the one from Mahoutokoro!"

Haruka noticed the Mahoutokoro acceptance letter was dated June 30, his birthday. He wondered why he received it only now. He opened it and read:

_**MAHOUTOKORO WIZARDING SCHOOL OF JAPAN**_

_**Headmistress: KUROSAWA **__**AMATERASU**_

_**Dear Mr. Nanase, Congratulations on your admission to Mahoutokoro! Please review enclosed materials, including information on housing, subjects, and the list of requirements. Term begins April 5 of next year. We look forward to seeing you.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**UDEA **__**SHINJU **_

_**Directress of Admissions**_

Makoto hugged Haruka in glee. "That's great! We'll still be studying together, then!"

Disentangling himself from Makoto, Haruka said "Yes, we will" with a straight face. Deep inside, he was really happy, too.

But there was another pink-and-silver envelope waiting to be opened. _Two Mahoutokoro letters? _Haruka had a bad feeling about this.

_**MAHOUTOKORO WIZARDING SCHOOL OF JAPAN**_

_**Headmistress: KUROSAWA **__**AMATERASU**_

_**Your request for deferral to the Intermediate Magical Training program at Mahoutokoro has been approved. Any queries should be directed to the Admissions Office. Best wishes to you.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**UDEA **__**SHINJU **_

_**Directress of Admissions**_

Seeing how nonplussed Haruka looked, Makoto knew immediately that Haruka had no say in this. "You didn't write to them, did you, Haru?"

"No," Haruka said. "I never even knew this school, or the other one, until now". _But I have a fairly clear idea who wrote to them._

He opened the last envelope, which was plain white and unaddressed. He recognized his father's neat handwriting as he read:

_**Haruka,**_

_**Hogwarts is the best school for you to go to. I have made all the necessary arrangements. Minoru will accompany you when you buy your school equipment and leave for the Hogwarts Express.**_

_**The time will come when you'll understand fully. Just remember that your mother and I love you more than our lives.**_

_**P.S.**_

_**I'm not sure Hogwarts has a pool.**_

"You'll be studying in Hogwarts, then?"

"Yes," Haruka replied grimly. "Thanks to my father."

* * *

Makoto's birthday dinner was a great one. Usually he had a green tea-and-chocolate cake for his birthdays sitting atop the table, but now that his father openly practiced magic again, the cake was dancing with the lemonade pitcher. For presents, his parents gave him a new bag, a new pair of shoes, and a LEGO heliplane set. Mr. Tachibana also handed down to Makoto his copy of _A History of Asian Magic_, a Tachibana family book. Haruka gave him a pack of chocolates and a sketch he made of Makoto with his family. After eating, the family and Haruka visited the shrine to give thanks.

Makoto requested a talk with his parents before going to sleep. Haruka watched a replay of _Macky the Mackerel_ with the twins, wondering why Makoto seemed subdued on his birthday.

Then the lights were turned off.

Haruka and Makoto shared Makoto's room. Makoto never had a problem with this until his eleventh birthday night. He lay tensely in bed, knowing that his plan would fail if Haruka caught him.

He was certain Haruka would not disobey his parents' wishes as to where to train magically. He knew Haruka was tired, so tired of being angry and lonely and isolated. He noticed that ever since the Nanases left, his best friend trudged through life, following his parents' wishes without a word, as if one day waiting for a plan of Hisoka to blow, so Haruka would prove that his parents weren't always right. Haruka had become _more_ silent and withdrawn, if that was possible, and lived aimlessly each day, caring less and less about schoolwork and preferring instead to immerse himself in the bathtub for hours. That, or he'd sneak into Harborsplash and lounge by the pools.

Determined, Makoto waited out the night, listening to Haruka's breathing. When he was certain Haruka was asleep already, he crept out of bed and began writing a letter. His hands were sweating and his thoughts were a mess. _I should have paid more attention to English class_, he thought, looking behind his back every minute to make sure Haruka was not awake.

An owl hooted outside.

He wrote:

_**Dear Headmistress McGonagall, **_

_**Good day to you, Ms. McGonagall. My name is **__**Makoto**__**. I am eleven years old and in sixth grade. I live in Japan. I am writing to you to ask if I can study at Hogwarts. I only received a letter from a school called Mahoutokoro (it is here in Japan), but no letter from your school. I already talked with my parents and they are okay with my decision.**_

_**I asked Dad where Hogwarts is, and he said nobody really knows for sure, except that it's in Scotland. It's ok if it's far from Japan, I will still want to study there. I hope you'll grant my request. Mahoutokoro seems nice but my best friend will study there in Hogwarts next year and I don't want him to go alone. Also, do you have a swimming pool there? (Asking not for me, but for my best friend.)**_

_**I only found out recently I was a wizard, too. So far, I had made my sister float and conjured a light when I got scared of the dark. But it was all accidental. I am not very skilled, I think, and I'm scared of drawings of witches, but I promise I will work very hard. I will study and learn my best if you take me in.**_

_**Please consider me for your school. Thank you very much.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Tachibana **__**Makoto **_

Three days later, at breakfast, a snowy owl brought back a reply. Makoto's heart banged painfully in his chest as he opened the yellow envelope bearing a large H in its wax seal:

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**_

_**Headmistress: MINERVA MCGONAGALL**_

_**Dear Mr. Tachibana, We are pleased to inform you that your request to study for the next academic year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been acce**_—

Makoto cried happily. "I'm going to Hogwarts, too!" His parents gave him a warm smile.

Haruka choked on his milk. "What do you mean?"

"Er, since you told me Uncle Hisoka wanted you to go to Hogwarts, I wrote Hogwarts' headmistress if I could go there as well. I didn't want you to go alone."

"_You wrote to Hogwarts_? Why would you do that, Makoto?" Haruka sputtered angrily.

"You don't seem too happy—"

"Of course I'm not happy!" Haruka said, standing up. Makoto's parents blinked wonderingly at them. "Uncle Minoru just told me this morning where Hogwarts is! It's in Scotland, Makoto! You'd be leaving Ran and Ren, and Aunt Natsuki, and Japan… This is very_ stupid _of you, why would you do such a thing…"

"It's not stupid of me," Makoto said firmly, standing up as well. "I want to go. My parents and I have talked about this last night. Dad will be personally going to Mahoutokoro to defer my slot and Mom has—"

"BUT YOU'D BE LEAVING YOUR FAMILY BEHIND!" Haruka balled his fists in anger. His family had split up and he wouldn't let that happen to Makoto's.

"You're my family, too," Makoto said earnestly. "If you go alone, you'd be the one leaving us behind. You'll have no support there—"

Haruka seethed. "You think I can't live by myself? I'll show you—"

"Also, somebody has to stop you from jumping into random bodies of water or you'll get arrested and detained. Imagine if you actually get to jail there for public indecency or trespassing."

Ran and Ren gave Haruka a grin.

"So," Makoto finished, "I'm going to Hogwarts, too."

"Why are you doing this, Makoto?"

Makoto smiled. "Well, you're my best friend. And as I've said, you're family. I'll always be by your side."

»o«

* * *

_Next chapter, we begin buying magical supplies. Chapter postscript at derasorea dot wordpress dot com (Mahoutokoro, Kurosawa, bathtubs)._


	5. The Dragon Scale Wand

_Aguamenti_  
A Free! and Harry Potter Crossover

Part One  
Haruka Nanase and the Brook Pensieve

Chapter 5:

THE DRAGON SCALE WAND

A new year had come. After their elementary graduation, Makoto and Haruka did not enroll at any local middle school and their deferral to Mahoutokoro's invitation stood. While waiting for the thirtieth day of August, Mr. Tachibana kept them busy with reading magical books. (The boys groaned at this, hoping instead to spend their free days swimming in Harborsplash).

When Nagisa knew his friends would be studying in another country, he cried so hard and promised he'd study in Hogwarts, too, to be with them. Makoto and Haruka looked at one another, both unable to say Hogwarts was actually a wizarding school. In a surprise visit, Nagisa caught the boys poring over battered copies of _Magical Theory_, _A History of Asian Magic_ and _The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1_, and seemed extremely interested.

"I can do magic, too," Nagisa said very seriously.

"What do you mean by 'too'?" Makoto laughed tensely as he stuffed _Magical Theory_ under the couch. "Don't joke like that, Nagisa. We're _not_ magical or something of the sort, are we, Haru?"

"We're not," echoed Haruka. _We're not falling for another of your pranks, Nagisa._

"I know you are, Mako-chan. I can _feel_ it. I know what Haru-chan did at Harborsplash last year was magic. It was so cool!"

"Not true," said Haruka. He looked out the window. "You should go home."

"Oh, yeah, it's dark already! I'll see you again, Mako-chan and Haru-chan!"

On the morning of August 30, Nagisa visited the Tachibana household again, but his friends weren't at home. Together with Sabainu on a leash, Mr. Tachibana had taken Haruka and Makoto to a secret place to buy them their wands.

* * *

"Sayakins Wand Shop," Makoto read, looking up at the words written on a large signboard with a gleaming golden arrow. The wand shop was situated in one of Oki chain's 180 islands, together with an assortment of curious shops carved into its caves and cliffs. "Dad, is this where you bought your wand?"

"Yes," Mr. Tachibana replied. "Most Japanese students go to the Oki Islands for magical equipment they need for Mahoutokoro. But we'll buy only your wands here at Maaya's. The rest will be in Diagon Alley tomorrow."

"Good day," an old, purple-haired woman named Maaya greeted them. "My, Minoru, it's been a long time. Is this your son?" she asked, pointing to Makoto. "Tall like you, eh?" She smiled broadly at Makoto, who smiled back, and also at Haruka, who only bowed stiffly in greeting.

The shop was spotlessly clean, with neat stacks of golden boxes lining up its long and narrow interior. "Come here first, dear boy," she beckoned to Makoto, and a tape measure began acting of its own accord, encircling him.

"Hmmm, I wonder, right... Cedar and dragon bone core. Thirteen and a quarter inches long. Durable. Well, why are you staring at it like that? It doesn't bite. Go on, hold it."

Makoto held the wand and waved it a bit, and it immediately emitted bright blue and green sparks.

"Well, that was quick," Maaya said, looking proudly at Makoto. "I was right about you being exactly like your father, who owns an eleven and a half cedar. Just don't be foolhardy with sacrifice, Makoto beanpole. In love, be not like your father, do you hear me?"

Minoru and Makoto's faces turned bright red. Minoru replied a very embarrassed "Please, Maaya, not in front of the children" while a perplexed Makoto asked, "What do you mean, ma'am—"

"Eh," Maaya waved a hand, "you'll know when you're older."

"Now, to this boy." Maaya lifted Haruka's chin with a gnarled hand and peered into his eyes. "Very blue, blue like the sea, and you seem to emit a powerful energy that is somehow bewildering," she was saying, "but I don't recognize you at all. What's your name, dear?"

"Nanase... Haruka."

"He's Hisoka's son, Maaya," Mr. Tachibana said.

Maaya's mouth gaped open. "Your best friend Hisoka? Somebody actually _liked_ him and bore him a child?" She laughed. "No wonder this one seems so bad-tempered!"

Maaya now cupped Haruka's face. "Your father was a difficult child, sullen, oh yes_—_clumsy, too, managed to topple a hundred of my boxes upon going here for his wand… but he proved to be an exceptional one, best in all his classes, I soon learned. A dragonhide cherry wand chose him." She opened a box.

"Try this one. Vine, ten inches, rigid. Dragon claw core."

Haruka reached for the wand, hands shaking_._

"Eh, no," Maaya said promptly as Haruka held the vine wand in his hand. She opened another box. "How about this, yes... Pine, eleven and a quarter inches long, dragonhide core. Straight-grained."

Haruka gave the wand a swish. It released a feeble gold spark and Maaya snatched it away from him.

"This seems a good choice, twelve inches, pliant," she said, handing him a cherry wand_—_Haruka burned half of Maaya's hair. After about fifty wands, she picked a hazel one_—_"Aha, this is ideal... a nice, sensitive wand, yes, for a quiet, sensitive boy"_—_and Haruka actually managed to make water come out of its end. He couldn't control it though, and soon the whole shop was flooded, with water reaching up to Mr. Tachibana's waist.

"Don't worry," Maaya said, raising her own wand up the water_—_the shop immediately dried up_—_"we'll find you your wand, dear." She hobbled to the far end of the golden boxes, choosing carefully. "Could he be, could it be…" She finally pulled a golden box from a bottom shelf, opened it, and eyes shining, handed it to Haruka.

"Ebony, twelve inches, dragon scale core. Limber and strong."

Haruka hesitated. _What if I blow up the whole place this time?_

"Go on, it's all right."

Haruka felt a certain warmth in his fingers as his right hand gripped the black wand. He waved it around, feeling nervous and silly but pleasantly warm. It seemed to respond to his movements. It felt like the wand knew him_. _He raised it higher, and suddenly, a steady jet of water spouted from its end, encircling them all like a thin, elegant ribbon, spiraling upward in neat circles before being absorbed cleanly and swiftly by the wand again.

Maaya looked astounded. "This wand contains a white dragon scale, the only one ever given to my forebears by an unnamed sea dragon. For centuries, my family has studied wand lore and craft, I have made thousands of wands myself, and yet this wand remained in its shelf, its outstanding combative power not put to test. It has been in the hands of many students who came here, tried, examined... but that's why it's in your hands now. Never has it chosen anyone before." Maaya smiled. "Now, it has selected you. You must be one very special boy."

Sabainu barked in agreement.

* * *

After wand shopping, the Tachibanas and Haruka began packing for London. ("Hey, Haru-chan, of course we'd be going with you to Og-wars!," said Ren, while stuffing three more toy robots in his little backpack.)

Finally, at around 8 pm, it was time to leave.

Haruka's parents didn't even visit him to say goodbye, and Haruka was uncertain what to feel: he was sad, he was terrified, he was looking forward to a new life, he was happy, and he was sad again.

"Um, Dad," Makoto said, a hint of panic in his voice. He suddenly remembered something when they were all in the living room, trunks and luggage assembled. _How were they actually going to go to London?_ "We don't have plane tickets, do we?"

Minoru Tachibana smiled. "We don't, but we have side-along apparition. Gather 'round. Now, Mom, Ran and Ren, and you two, hold on to me"_—_he took a deep breath as Sabainu pressed his wet nose against Mr. Tachibana's leg_—"_and off we go!" There was a loud, thunder-like crack, and the Tachibanas and Haruka were gone.

Outside the Tachibanas' living room window, a pair of amber eyes glowed in the dark. "So the Nanases have friends," a woman whispered to herself, touching a white pearl that hung by her neck. "I wonder who'll be killed first."

»o«

* * *

_To know more about Haruka and Makoto's wands, please read Chapter 5's postscript at derasorea dot wordpress dot com (see bio)._


	6. Mayhem at the Menagerie

_Aguamenti_  
A Free! and Harry Potter Crossover

Part One  
Haruka Nanase and the Brook Pensieve

Chapter 6:

MAYHEM AT THE MENAGERIE

_There are some teeny changes regarding the trio's first meeting as children, but a few things remain._

* * *

It was in the Magical Menagerie where they first met Rin.

"You can't turn that toad into a goldfish with just a stare, Haru."

"Sorry, Uncle," Haruka mumbled, gripping Sabainu's leash tightly. "I just wanted Makoto to have a pet again." He wasn't sure what was more annoying: being told he was magical and losing the chance to be finally free and ordinary, or being told he was a wizard, just to be _forbidden _to do any magic at all. They had apparated into London the night before, and Makoto's mouth wouldn't properly close from all the fantastical things they kept seeing: the Leaky Cauldron pub where they stayed, funnily dressed wizards, the bustling alleys between crooked and cramped establishments, and the overall magic filling the place Mr. Tachibana called _Diagon Alley_. Still, in all this strangeness, Mr. Tachibana wouldn't let him use his wand.

"Haru's just keen to finally be able to do proper, controlled magic, Dad," Makoto said, studying Haruka intently. A screech distracted him, and soon his mouth gaped open again at the sight of the menagerie's assemblage of magical creatures. "Wow…"

Haruka glared at him. _How does he know that by just looking at my face?_

"You'll be riding the train to Hogwarts tomorrow, Haru dear. Just a little more patience, all right?" Mrs. Tachibana ruffled Haruka's hair.

"Okay."

Mr. Tachibana looked amused. "Very well. We'll be leaving you here at the menagerie to go to Fortescue's. What ice cream flavor would you two like?"

"Chocolate," said Makoto.

"Mackerel," said Haruka.

"I don't think there's mack_—_" Mr. Tachibana began, but Ran and Ren's loud shouts of "Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!" as they dragged their father and mother out of the animal shop drowned out his voice. Makoto, Haruka, and a drooling Sabainu were left to themselves, wondering what pet to choose, thinking about water, and being fascinated by a pixie, respectively.

* * *

"Hmm, this white Persian cat looks just like Snowball! And we have the same eye color. What do you think, Haru? He seems nice, doesn_—_Haru?" Makoto looked around, but Haruka was not by his side. Instead, a red-haired boy with red eyes and pointy teeth was looking at him. He was carrying a cage with a brown eagle owl inside, and under his other arm were various packages wrapped in brown paper.

"Hello," Makoto greeted, smiling. "Sorry, I thought you were my friend. He must have wandered off," he said, bowing a little.

"Cats are useless, aren't they?"

"Hah, what?" Makoto asked, astonished.

"Owls can catch mice, too, but cats can't send letters at all," the red-haired boy said, staring at a sleeping tabby cat. He then beamed at Makoto, raising the cage in his hand. The owl inside gave a little hoot, its dark orange eyes gleaming. "That's why I bought Vlad!" He smiled, his pointy teeth showing. "I saw him at Eeylops a while ago. Anyway, my name is Matsuoka Rin. I have a girlish name, but I'm a boy. How about you?" He said this very fast, bobbing up and down on his feet.

"Wow, you're Japanese, too! And you have a, um, girlish name as well." Makoto smiled. My name is Tachibana Makoto. Nice to meet you, Matsuoka-san!"

"Just call me Rin. You're here to buy a cat?"

"Well, yeah", Makoto said, a bit embarrassed. "We have already bought books and supplies with my parents this morning. I'd like to have a pet, though, so I asked Dad to drop us by here."

"Can I call you Makoto?"

Makoto nodded, smiling.

"Say, Makoto, my sister also wants me to buy her a cat, but I don't have enough money left. I still need to buy a wand." He gestured to his arm. "I just bought my supplies for Hogwarts. Are you going there, too?"

Makoto's mouth fell open again. "Yeah, me and my friend are going there as well! I'm really glad to know you from here. But first I need to find him. I wonder where he's gone." Makoto walked around the aisles, momentarily forgetting pets.

"Who is this friend?" Rin asked, following him.

"Haru. He's my best friend. He's a very talented swimmer back in Iwato—"

"Yeah? I used to be a swimmer, too, before finding out about all this," Rin said.

Makoto noted Rin looked somber when he said that. "All this?"

"Magic," Rin said. "Now I have a different dream. I'll be a Quidditch player like Dad!"

"What's Quidditch?" Makoto asked, starting to worry. They had gone around five aisles now, from various kinds of rats to poisonous snails, and they still hadn't come across Haruka or even Sabainu.

"Man, you _don't_ know what Quidditch is? It's the coolest sport in the world! You get to ride a broomstick and fly—"

CRASH.

Makoto heard the collective cracked groaning of toads in Aisle 15, Sabainu's growling, and a thunder of cages and crates falling everywhere. He ran.

"What in Merlin's molars is happening?" Rin wondered, running toward the noise as well.

"Sabainu, no!" Makoto yelled, scrambling into the wooden boxes to catch hold of the dog's leash. Sabainu was too quick and large for him, however, and seemed too fixated on a flying pixie to notice him. "Where's Haru?"

The shop owner pointed her wand to Sabainu and a white light sparked from it, but this seemed to have no effect to the dog at all. Sabainu rampaged about the place, toppling over cages and shop customers as he went. She enchanted the pixie instead, and it froze in midair. With a swish of her wand, the pixie floated into an open chute, which she then slammed shut. "Stop, bad dog!" she said, running to Makoto and Sabainu. "My animals are getting away! Stop, I say!" She was waving her wand madly. "_Impedimenta! Impedimenta_!" Two cats by the door slowed down, and the shop owner picked them up with shaking hands.

Sabainu realized the pixie had gone, and calmed down.

"YOU!" The shop owner asked, looking at Makoto and Rin. "Do you own that dog?"

"I don't," Rin said.

"I—we… ahh—I," Makoto stammered. And then, he saw it. Haruka's _clothes_, lying in a heap on the floor, just by the end of Aisle 19. He ran again. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no… HARU, DON'T JUMP INTO THE FISH TANK!"

There was a splash, followed by Haruka's cry of pain, and a deafening sound of glass breaking into pieces.

The front door opened. "Haru-chan, onii-chan, we've got your ice cream!" singsonged Ran.

* * *

Makoto and Haruka's ice creams (both chocolate, as really there was no mackerel ice cream even in the wizarding world) lay melting on the floor, dropped by Mr. Tachibana in his shock. He apologized profusely to the menagerie's owner, saying they'd pay for damages.

Meanwhile, the owner's face was beet red in laughter. "Merlin's beard," she croaked, wiping tears from her face. She looked at Haruka, who was dripping in his black-and-purple jammers. "Just — why, boy? Why did you jump into an aquarium full of shrakes?"

"I didn't see the sign," Haruka said under his breath, red, itchy spots all over his skin. He glared at Makoto, daring him to openly voice his interpretation (which was the truth): _Haruka did see the sign, he just wanted to get into the water._

Thankfully, Makoto just kept silent.

The red-haired boy sitting next to him, however, was talking too much.

"Saltwater aquarium of shrakes," Rin loudly read the sign. "Shrakes are magically-created species of saltwater fish covered in spines, deliberately created in the 1800s to ruin Muggle fishing nets. Ten sickles apiece." Then he looked at Haruka and said, laughing, "I wouldn't jump into a tank full of spiny fish even _without_ signs."

_I don't know you, so I have no opinion_, Haruka thought.

"Why do you wear your swimsuit under your jeans?" Rin asked. "I'm Matsuoka Rin, by the way. I have a girlish name but"—Rin thumped his chest and grinned—"I'm a boy. What's your name?"

_Too loud._ Haruka decided he didn't like the boy very much, whoever he was.

"Nanase," he replied.

* * *

Curiously, the menagerie's owner refused any payment. "Nothing was harmed that's not fixable by magic," she said as she waved her wand about and the broken crates and aquarium returned to their original states. "My shrakes seemed a bit squashed, my toads a bit traumatized, but I and my patrons had a great laugh, so thank you, mister…?"

"Nanase. My dog just wrecked your shop."

"Mister Nanase," the shop owner smiled. "It's fine. In truth, my shop and I have dealt with more damage than today's. I heard from Mr. Tachibana here that you grew up in the Muggle world so I understand. Just don't go jumping into fish tanks again, you get me, boy?"

_Depends whether the tank is empty or not._ "Yes."_  
_

After that, the Tachibanas, Haruka, Sabainu, and Rin left the menagerie. Makoto bought the white cat he wanted. Rin, meanwhile, bought a newborn ginger kitten which still had its eyes closed.

"It's cheaper," he said as they were walking down the alley. "Gou'll just have to find a way to feed it milk. I wonder what she'll name it, though. Probably a silly name like Tuftypoopy..." He looked at Makoto. "What will you name your cat, Makoto?"

"I think I'll call him Yukio," Makoto replied, smiling fondly at the cat. Yukio purred happily.

"That suits him well," Mrs. Tachibana said to her son.

Rin nodded in agreement. "He's white as snow. How about your dog, Nanase-san? What's his name again?"

Haruka pretended not to hear, looking down his own shoes as he walked.

"Hey, Nanase-san," Rin asked, poking Haruka's back with Vlad's cage. "I was asking the name of your pet?"

"Sabainu," Haruka grunted. "Stop with the '-san'."

"WHAT?" Rin dropped his parcels in surprise. Makoto helped him pick them up. "You named your pet Mackerel Dog?"

"Yes."

"That's… _weird_."

Haruka spun around, a hard look on his face. "He's a dog that likes mackerel."

"Okay, relax! I get your pretty straightforward logic there. Sorry," Rin replied, though he sounded more amused than sorry. "An inu (dog) that loves saba (mackerel). _Sabainu._ Yeah, really creative name, Nanase, well done…"

Makoto noticed Rin was trying his best not to laugh.

"Why are you following us?" Haruka asked coldly.

"I'm not following you," Rin said, sounding a bit hurt. "I'm just on my way to Ollivanders for my wand."

"Instead of pestering other people's families, go annoy your own," Haruka said.

"I came here alone."

Haruka fell silent. _This boy bought all his supplies to Hogwarts alone?_

"Are you staying here for the night, as well, Rin?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah, in a friend's house. Anyway, I guess this is where I say goodbye," Rin said, pointing to Ollivanders Wand Shop's sign. He bowed respectfully to Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana and walked toward the shop. "See you, Makoto and Nanase."

"See you tomorrow, Rin!" Makoto said.

Haruka didn't say anything. He just wondered why Rin was on his own.

* * *

Later that night, in their room at the Leaky Cauldron, Haruka and Makoto lay on their beds. Yukio slept in Makoto's sheets, while Sabainu snored softly at the foot of Haruka's bed. It was past midnight, but sleep wouldn't come to the boys.

"Strange day today, isn't it, Haru?" Makoto asked, shifting on his side to look at Haruka.

"Every day is strange," Haruka said quietly._  
_

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Makoto agreed. "I'm glad we made a friend today on our first day here in the UK."

_Friend_, Haruka thought, the word rolling in his brain. _I'm not that stupid to not notice._ "He was mocking me."

"What? No, Haru, I'm sure Rin was just surprised, like the shop owner and the others. He was very friendly when I was in the cat section. And you know what, he said he was a swimmer, too, Haru, that's nice, isn't it—"

"You've made a new friend, then," Haruka replied, turning his back from Makoto and closing his eyes. He was tired, he told himself, from the day's endless wandering around Diagon Alley for quills and robes and cauldrons. He didn't get to soak in a tub or pool all day, nor eat any mackerel. And he thought the traitor shrakes in the menagerie would be friendly. Tomorrow, they'd need to be in King's Cross by 11am for the train to their new school. He didn't have the strength nor the time to talk about a random, dreadfully chatty boy they met in a shop. "Not me."

Little did Haruka know, Rin would be a very important person in his life.

»o«

* * *

_See you at the sorting! For notes on Rin, his wand, Vlad, and Yukio, p__lease read Chapter 6's postscript _at derasorea dot wordpress dot com.


	7. A Scar and a Song

_Aguamenti_  
A Free! and Harry Potter Crossover

Part One  
Haruka Nanase and the Brook Pensieve

Chapter 7:

A SCAR AND A SONG

_A note: Aguamenti is set 27 years after Voldemort's defeat at the Battle of Hogwarts. The boys begin their Hogwarts education on Lily Luna Potter's last year at the school. For Potions master, I tried Slughorn, I tried making up a bunch of other teachers_—_I got to at least five before I was convinced nobody can teach Haruka Potions and life lessons better than Snape himself. He'll be here. I'm very loyal to his story in the books but he just has to be here._

_Thank you lots for the positive feedback so far._

* * *

At five minutes to eleven, people bustled about Platform Nine and Three Quarters, parents and children's chatter mingling with animal sounds and trunks being dragged around. The Hogwarts Express stood red and glistening in the sunlight.

"Take care of each other," Mrs. Tachibana said, smoothing down Haruka and Makoto's shirts, "and study hard."

Ran was sobbing uncontrollably while Ren silently clung to Makoto's leg. Haruka was feeling anxious and sad as well, but he hoped he looked bored enough. Goodbyes were an uncomfortable thing to deal with.

Makoto hugged his siblings tightly. He buried himself in his father and mother's arms next, who looked both proud of him and misty-eyed. "I promise I will write everyday, Mom, Dad." Afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana embraced Haruka. Haruka returned the hug as fiercely as he could, wanting to convey in silence all his gratitude to them.

"I hope the shrake tank was a lesson to you, Haru," Mr. Tachibana reminded as he heaved Haruka's trunk on to an empty compartment of the train. "Stay safe in Hogwarts"_—_he tucked away Makoto's trunk next_—"_don't do anything rash, and be careful around water." He clapped a hand on both boys' backs and ushered them in to the compartment. "Go on, hurry up, you don't want to miss your first train ride to school. Look after one another, boys."

The two boys clambered to the compartment, with Makoto leaning out the window for a last quick kiss from his mother and the twins. As the train moved, even Ren began to cry. "Ba-bye, onii-chan and Haru-chan!"

* * *

Fifteen silent minutes later (Haruka was staring out the window, stroking Sabainu's fur, while Makoto was reading a book), the door to their compartment slid open.

"Yo! There you are."

"Rin!" Makoto put down his copy of _Magical Drafts and Potions_ and moved Yukio and Sabainu a bit so Rin could sit. "Hello! We were hoping to see you at the platform a while ago."

Rin plunked his trunk and Vlad's cage next to Makoto and sat down. In his other hand he held a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "I was also looking for you two. The other carriages were full." He grinned. Then he peered into Haruka's face and asked, "Are you sick, Nanase? Why do you have that funny look on your face?"

"I'm fine," Haruka replied._ No, I'm not. I'm sick of you. You're noisy._

"If you say so. Boy, I'm excited for Hogwarts! Oh, here, have some beans! Be careful with these, though. I got wood pulp flavor just a while ago, though now I have cheesecake. What House do you two want to get in, by the way?"

Makoto picked up a purple bean and cautiously bit into it. "This one tastes like normal grape. Are these really in _every_ flavor?" he asked, amazed. "And do we get to choose our own house design and rooms there in Hogwarts?"

"No, by 'house' I mean house system that's usual to boarding schools here, not the literal one. From what I heard, a hat chooses for us"—Makoto and Haruka exchanged baffled glances at this—"and as for every flavor, yeah," Rin said. "Gou got a ghost chilli once and she cried for hours. Nanase, go on, pick one!"

"No."

"Er, Rin, Haru doesn't like these kinds of food," Makoto said.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to try once." Rin picked a silvery bean and gave it to Haruka. "Eat this, Nanase. Come on, as a sign of our friendship!"

"Are you deaf?" Haruka hissed. "I said no."

"Fine, I'm going to eat it, then — blurggh, mackerel!"

Haruka tensed in his seat. "D-did you say mackerel?"

"Yeah," Rin replied. "Funny taste. I don't like fish much."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try," Haruka said. He picked a brownish-orange bean, hoping it's salmon or tuna. He got a shoe polish-flavored one, unfortunately.

"You know, I don't really care where I get sorted," Rin was saying, as Haruka choked and coughed up the bean he ate and Makoto scrambled in his rucksack for water. "As long as I can play Quidditch. That's the important thing."

"It would be nice if all three of us get sorted in the same House," Makoto said, patting Haruka's back with a worried look on his face.

Rin shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But since something else does the choosing, tough luck. Anyway, because I'm kind, I'll be tutoring your English. You don't seem too bad at it, but you can do more." He smiled sincerely.

Makoto reddened. Back in Iwatobi, he and Haruka hated English class. But during their after-graduation break, they were studying the language together with the books Mr. Tachibana gave them. "It's fine, we're studying it, Dad bought us an English booky-talky. Thanks, Rin."

Haruka gritted his teeth. _This Rin thinks he's so great and all._

"No, I'm cool with it. So, tell me more about yourselves. In the menagerie, I heard Nanase calling your father "uncle", Makoto. Are you cousins, too?"

"We might as well be, but no," Makoto said, smiling. "Haru and I just kind of grew up together. We live very near to each other and our parents are friends as well. We also have been classmates since kindergarten."

"I see," Rin nodded. "You said Nanase's a swimmer back in Japan."

Makoto nodded. "Yeah. I was, too."

"Was?"

"Um, yeah. We quit last year."

"Why?"

"Umm—" Makoto looked at Haruka.

"It's none of your business," Haruka said to Rin. He looked like he already recovered from the foul-tasting bean.

Rin just blinked and nudged Haruka with his leg. "Hey, Nanase, 'you any good?"

"I only swim freestyle."

"Haru always won gold for freestyle," Makoto shared, smiling. "He's a bit of a celebrity back home—"

"Quit it, Makoto."

"My specialty is butterfly," Rin said smugly. "But I'm not bad at freestyle either. Let's race sometime, huh?" Then he sighed. "'Must be nice growing up with a close friend. I don't think I have any."

"I wonder why," Haru responded sarcastically.

But Rin took his reply as a genuine question and turned very serious as he said, "We often had to move back and forth Japan and Britain because of Dad. He was training here for Quidditch, you see. He had an uncle in Scotland who worked with the Montrose Magpies. Dad wanted to professionally play for the Toyohashi Tengu. 'Never happened, though."

"Why?" Makoto asked. Haruka kept silent, although his interest was piqued. He wondered why a stranger they just met yesterday was telling them these very personal life details.

"He died when I was eight." Rin put his hands behind his head and looked at the blurry streaks of green fields outside the window. "Dad must have felt he couldn't just train and train, with me and Gou around. We became really broke here, because of rent and stuff, you know? So Dad stopped training and became a fisherman. I even helped him at times, that's when I discovered I was magical, too. He assured me it wouldn't last, though, that he'd still be a Quidditch player and that he'd take me and Gou to the Quidditch World Cup. The sea took him one night, during a storm."

Makoto and Haruka were very silent.

"I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer, but for Dad I'd win the World Cup. That's why I'm here." Rin returned to his characteristic cheery self again and smiled brightly. "Don't tell this to anyone, is that clear? Or else I'll hex you." He laughed. "I mean, you two sure look boring and serious enough to keep this a secret, it's just that I don't have anything else interesting to say about me. Anyway, forget that, okay? Wait, let me get something."

Makoto and Haruka stayed still in their seats, not knowing what to say to comfort Rin. But they were quite perceptive children and both felt Rin's trust, his need for an outlet, his seriousness underneath his farce. Haruka knew the answer to his earlier question as his eyes locked with Makoto's. _He's telling us something he hasn't told anyone else before._

"All right, let's play!" Rin said, opening a battered Gobstones set.

With an unspoken, newfound trust and friendship between the three boys, the remainder of their journey to Hogwarts was spent with stinky marbles, more strange-tasting beans, ham and cheese sandwiches, and pumpkin juice. The obnoxiously loud laughs of Rin and Makoto as they played caused Haruka (who refused to participate, saying the squirting Gobstones was "silly"), Sabainu, Vlad, and Yukio to be very disgruntled, and all of them did not notice as the train finally slowed down, until a voice announced: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

* * *

Now wearing their black school robes, Haruka, Makoto, and Rin, together with other first year students, followed the big and kindly Rubeus Hagrid down a narrow path. Swinging a lamp in his hand, Hagrid led them on until they reached the edge of a great lake shimmering softly in the moonlight. Makoto was clutching Haruka's robes tightly, wary of the dark and scared that Haru might jump into the lake when left unsupervised.

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you wore your jammers under your robes, Nanase?"

"I did. Call me Haru," Haruka said.

"Seriously? You're more mental than Uric the Oddball," snickered Rin. "Haru." He looked really happy to be finally calling Haruka his nickname.

"Please quiet down, will you," Makoto said to Haruka and Rin. "Listen to the bearded man talking."

"Firs' years, jus' call me Hagrid," Hagrid beamed , "I'm yer keeper of keys and grounds. Now, you'll be crossing the lake ter get to Hogwarts. No more'n four to a boat!"

The three boys shared their boat with a shy, sandy-haired boy who wouldn't speak despite Rin's best efforts. The boats moved forward, Haruka _almost_ jumped into the water nine times until Rin finally warned him he'd hex his jammers with bogeys, they reached the harbor, and then, after a few minutes of walking on the pebbly ground, they finally were in front of Hogwarts castle's enormous oak door.

* * *

"Thanks, Hagrid," a brown-eyed, smiling witch greeted them when the door opened. She was a dignified-looking woman in simple black-and-beige robes, her brown hair tied in a neat plait and her face a bit stern. "Good evening everyone, and welcome to Hogwarts. I am Hermione Weasley, deputy headmistress and Transfiguration professor. Follow me, please."

"Oh, that's her! Mother said I should emulate her. Brilliant lady, that ma'am Weasley, from school, to taking care of magical creatures, then law enforcement, and now Hogwarts' deputy head! She's accomplished so much, and she's only 47!" Makoto heard a girl whisper feverishly to her friend.

Hermione led Haruka and the others to an empty antechamber. "We have four Houses here in Hogwarts — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own distinct traits and triumphs. Each has its own dormitories and common rooms. The House where you get sorted to will be like your family during your stay here. At the end of the school year, the House Cup is awarded to whichever House garners the most points. Hence, every one of you is expected to contribute to your House's upkeep and standing. Remarkable deeds, marks you earn from your classes, and wins in Quidditch add to your House's points, while misdemeanors will make you lose points.

"For the sorting, your names will be called in alphabetical order, and you will sit quietly as the Sorting Hat makes it decision. Again, please follow me."

As they walked, Rin elbowed Haruka and Makoto and breathed, "Professor Weasley is beautiful but strict, don't you think?"

"Shut up, Rin," Haruka said. Then he fell into a shocked silence when he saw where Hermione led them_—_a cavernous, magnificent hall that had an enchanted roof reflecting the night sky, with four long tables filled with hundreds of students. On a raised platform in front of the student tables was the staff table. Haruka saw, among others: a severe-looking woman in emerald robes whom he thought must be the headmistress; a balding, thin man talking to Hagrid; a man in all black, staring very sullenly at the students; a tiny wizard laughing with a slender, white-haired witch over some piece of parchment. Everywhere, they were surrounded by floating candles and a kind of magic Haruka never felt as quite as strong in Diagon Alley. The place was beautiful.

Hermione spoke again, telling them the names of the teachers. "You will get to know them more as your classes start."

Busily looking at a candle, Haruka didn't notice when Hermione placed a stool and a tattered, pointed hat in front of the teachers' table. But then the hat began to sing:

_**A second, a breath**_

_**A minute, a stretch**_

_**An hour, a distress**_

_**How long does it take for me to know you?**_

_**The answer to this, my friends fair and green**_

_**Is I'm a Cap that Thinks**_

_**But time is a Trap that Ticks and Tricks!**_

_**For long I have been trusted to speak only truth**_

_**To counsel with good grace young ones' best places**_

_**To free cloaked skills and wishes**_

_**And to understand the perils of youth**_

_**Because I am a Thinking Cap!**_

_**The lionhearted go to Gryffindor**_

_**But fears, oh, the lions have them, they do**_

_**Ravenclaw suits those whose imaginations soar**_

_**Or have minds that blaze like the fires of Floo**_

_**The canny learn best from Slytherin**_

_**That ambition and power can both be friend and rue**_

_**Hufflepuff chooses the kindest and most loyal**_

_**It reaps talents exceptional and unseen, too**_

_**And I, I am a Cap that does not Trick!**_

_**A second, a breath**_

_**A minute, a stretch**_

_**An hour, a distress**_

_**How long does it take for me to know you?**_

_**It matters not if I Think short or long**_

_**For I'm the Sorting Hat**_

_**A Cap that Thinks**_

_**A Cap that does not Trick**_

_**A Cap that is never wrong!**_

Makoto was one of those who clapped loudest when the hat finished its song and bowed. "A hat that sings! Wow, I read about that once in a book and now we actually get to hear one!" But as if suddenly realizing something, he stopped clapping and looked scared again.

Hermione began to read from a long roll of parchment.

"Amsel, Rosemary!"

"RAVENCLAW!" yelled the hat as Rosemary jammed it on her head.

"Borgin, Jillian!"

The hat was only hovering by Jillian's head when it shouted "SLYTHERIN!"

"Brook, Robert!" The boy who shared Rin, Haruka, and Makoto's boat came stumbling forward, looking down his shoes as he put on the hat.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Crumwell, Anthony!"

"RAVENCLAW!" Anthony came hurrying over to sit next to Rosemary at the Ravenclaw table.

"Foxear, Dugald", a burly, grim-looking boy, became the second Gryffindor, "Fuchsiafische, Cyperus" was the first Hufflepuff, ("Just what the heck is that name?" Rin whispered), "Gardener, Quintin" was a Slytherin, "Grousedale, Catherine" and "Gyeong, Hye Soo" were Hufflepuffs, and on and on Hermione's voice rang clearly in the hall, until_—_

"Matsuoka, Rin!"

Rin eagerly put the hat on his head. He squirmed when the hat began talking. "Ah, you have an unflinching will to accomplish your goals in life," the hat drawled, "a clever mind, too, very competitive, yes, I know… SLYTHERIN!"

Rin heard the hat shout only the last word to the crowd. He hopped off the stool, waved at Haruka and Makoto, and joined the Slytherin table.

"Murceo, Serafina!"

A girl with pixie-cut orange hair and light gray eyes calmly walked over to the stool, her head held high in a very snobbish way. The hat contemplated for two minutes before shouting "SLYTHERIN!"

And then, Hermione read, "Nanase, Haruka!"

"Good luck, Haru!" Makoto murmured. Haruka sat on the stool, expecting the hat to make a fast choice. He didn't want to linger in front of all the students' staring faces.

"Oh," the Sorting Hat said, and Haruka wondered if it always sounded this surprised upon being crammed on to people's heads. "Where to put you… What's that, anywhere? There is no house called 'Anywhere' here, boy" _—_ the hat chuckled at its own joke _— _"Let's see, imaginative and original, yes, but very withdrawn… talented, certainly, modest to the point of uncaring about your accomplishments — very loyal to your friends even when you won't dare admit _—_ highly perceptive, yet oftentimes you play out as insensitive and rude _—_ you are a brave one, I can see it, you want to prove yourself _—_ half of you is very impatient, I can't examine the other half… This is difficult..."

Haruka was becoming tired of the hat's ramblings and took a peek in the hall. He realized immediately the looks from the students' faces; it was the looks he got when he retrieved the pearl necklace and made moss grow out of a pool. _What am I doing wrong again?_

Finally, the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Haruka could see Rin's surprised face at the Slytherin table as he walked across the hall and sat next to a Hufflepuff first year named Michael Hillthorne. The Hufflepuffs were cheering loudly.

"Hi, some trouble with the Sorting Hat?" Michael smiled at Haruka. He had long black hair tied in a messy ponytail and a brotherly look on his face. "Took you seven and a half minutes. Please call me Mike. What's your name?"

"Nanase Haruka," Haruka said dully. Mike, taken aback, excused himself and listened to a couple of Hufflepuff third years talking about _hatstalls_. After about five minutes, he turned to Haruka again.

The roll call continued. "Penblue, Marcia" was a Hufflepuff, "Rivers, Isolde" was a Slytherin, "Rollingberry, Richard" became a Ravenclaw, "Swansea, Pauline" was a Gryffindor, while "Swansea, Peter" was a Slytherin, and then_—_

"Tachibana, Makoto!"

Makoto trembled as he sat on the stool. Haruka was in Hufflepuff. Their new friend Rin was in Slytherin. Where would he be sorted? He put the hat carefully on his head, closing his eyes. "Hello," the hat greeted. "Let's see... selfless to a fault _—_ you get scared easily but I recognize courage, plenty of it in you, just waiting to be freed _—_ you take your duties very seriously, not a bad mind as well, and extremely patient _—_ I know where to put you_—_"

_Please, _Makoto thought. _Put me in Hufflepuff where Haru is._

"Eh, what's that?" The hat said. "No, boy, you are more suited to another House."

_Hufflepuff,_ Makoto thought again. _I want to be in Hufflepuff._

"I do not Trick, boy, but time does Tick, and people must be keen for some roast beef now," the hat said firmly. "You would do well in that House, I surmise, and your head insists you want to be with your friend, but I read in your heart a path more suitable for you. You will do well, do greater things in Gryffindor."

_I'm not brave_, Makoto insisted. _I'm scared of the dark, I'm scared of the sea, I don't know what I'll do without Haru, I..._

"You stand up to me now, a choice you make valiantly on your own, and I admire students who choose for themselves. I heed them when heeding seems sensible. But in your case, you need to take my words into heart. Listen well _—_ the bravest of men are often imperiled with fears, but that is why they are actually brave at all. Go on now, five students still remain to be sorted, and that boy in Slytherin looks about to faint from hunger. You belong in_—_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Shaking, Makoto walked to the Gryffindor table, where students were hooting for him and applauding. He felt like crying, even as a bunch of first years cheerfully asked what his name was. He looked at Haruka who sat alone in a corner of the Hufflepuff table. _It's our first day here and I already broke my promise to you._

* * *

The Sorting finally ended and Professor McGonagall had begun giving out start-of-term notices, but Haruka was only pretending to listen. He knew Makoto was looking at him from the Gryffindor table but he didn't meet his eyes.

Makoto was a near hatstall, according to Mike Hillthorne, as he took almost four minutes to be sorted. Haruka would bet a swimming pool he was arguing with the Sorting Hat to be put in Hufflepuff as well. Because what was it that Makoto said back in Iwatobi? _I'll always be by your side. _His best friend came with him here all to way to Scotland to be with him. Now, they were separated.

_He always breathes in my neck not to jump into water sources, and I always tend to hold him back from actually enjoying things, _Haruka thought_. _For the meantime, he welcomed the change. He knew, however, that Makoto would definitely find a way to sit with him for meals and homework.

Rin was in another House as well. Haruka shot a glance at him. Rin was displaying his full set of shark teeth in the Slytherin table as he laughed about some joke an upperclassman shared.

The Sorting Hat called Haruka loyal, imaginative, and perceptive… He wondered about these traits. He never gave much thought about himself. He just always thought he was strange. Even now, in the wizarding world where he's supposed to be just like everyone else, he's still showing signs of being different. This frustrated him.

He was a hatstall, Mike said, with the Sorting Hat spending seven and a half minutes before finally choosing Hufflepuff. Mike also told him that Hogwarts had no record of any hatstall for the past 52 years, and even for one, seven minutes was a little too long.

His thoughts were interrupted by a tall, thin man he recognized from the staff table. The man had balding, sandy-colored hair and rheumy gray eyes. Both of his ears seemed to have been cut or chewed off and a scar ran across his left eye, narrow and raised. "Good evening. You must be Haruka? I am John Brook, Defense of the Dark Arts professor. "

"Good evening, Professor."

"Meet me tomorrow in the staff room at 5 PM. I will show you your parents' pasts."

»o«

* * *

_Chapter 7's postscript on the blog has details on the Sorting, Haru's batch mates, and Hermione as professor.  
_


	8. The Earless Professor

_Aguamenti_  
A Free! and Harry Potter Crossover

Part One  
Haruka Nanase and the Brook Pensieve

Chapter 8:

THE EARLESS PROFESSOR

"I'll be expecting you," Brook said with a polite smile, and off he went back to his seat at the high table. Haruka sat stunned and wondering, too distracted by the strange professor's words to notice Yorkshire pudding, all kinds of roast meat, potatoes, cheese, sausages, shepherd's pie, blackberry crumble, toffees, and sponge cakes materializing in front of him when McGonagall signaled the start of the feast.

When Mike nudged him, Haruka only ate a tablespoon of mashed potatoes. He glanced at the table bitterly, the food not enticing him at all. _What a school. An earless professor acts all mysterious with me on my first day here, and there's so many types of meat, but no mackerel._

After the welcoming feast, McGonagall bade everyone a good night and students poured out of the Great Hall. Rin yelled "Breakfast's on Haru's!" to Makoto and Haruka before trotting off with his classmates to the Slytherin Dungeon. Makoto went to the Hufflepuff table to say a quiet "Good night" to Haruka and made way for the Gryffindor Tower. Sixth year Shelley Oakgrove directed the Hufflepuff first years to the Hufflepuff common room. Warm, round, and low-ceilinged, it was full of black-and-yellow squashy pillows, cozy, overstuffed chairs, and quirky plants.

"Welcome to Hufflepuff House!" Shelley said brightly. "Now, I know you must be tired from today's journey to Hogwarts and many of you are still feeling a bit strange around the school, but don't worry, we will be here to help. Just one reminder for tonight, the entrance to our common room: tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff', and the lid will swing open. Be careful with tapping, though, because anyone who gets the barrel or rhythm incorrect is doused in vinegar and barred access. Boys, your dormitory is on the left side. Girls, ours is on the right, so please follow me. That's all for tonight. I hope you all sleep comfortably, and good luck tomorrow!"

* * *

Three hours had passed since Shelley's energetic welcome, and Haruka knew he must sleep already. He lay awake on his four-poster, however, light-headed and worrying, a painful sensation nagging in his stomach. Sabainu was awake too, and was looking at him with soulful eyes. He got up, pulled two cans of mackerel from his trunk, and ate silently with his dog. His roommates were already snoring.

It took another two hours before he fell asleep, haunted in his dreams again by an old, white-haired man drowning him in the sea, while women with pearls for eyes exulted. There were also beaked creatures in a river, some strangling him with their webbed hands, another one crying, screaming at him to leave the water, begging him not to die.

* * *

The next morning, at breakfast, Haruka was about to take a bite of pickled kipper when Rin's voice rang through the Great Hall and he slammed himself into Haruka's back. "Table-hop!" Haruka nearly choked again.

"Good morning, Haru," Makoto greeted as he and Rin sidled into empty seats in front of Haruka, their plates filled with scrambled eggs, toast, and ham.

"'Morning. What are you two doing here?"

Rin grinned. "Didn't I say last night breakfast's on yours? We're table-hopping. Lunch's on Makoto's, and we'll eat dinner at the Slytherin table."

"Is that permitted?"

"I don't know," Rin laughed, "but the tables have enough space, I think, so that's not much of a problem. It's the people in them you gotta worry about. Let's compare class schedules! I want to see—" He looked up suddenly, startled.

A flurry of a hundred wings and screeches marked the arrival of mails. Rin's eagle owl, Vlad, brought him a lumpy package (it contained shoelaces and a hooded jacket from home), Makoto had chocolates and a letter from his parents, and Haruka, who was not expecting anything at all, received a letter from a gasping, drenched owl that flopped feebly in a bowl of corn flakes.

He opened the letter carefully. He didn't recognize the handwriting at all:

_**〆**_

_**Death awaits you in the earless man's hold.**_

He read the letter five times more, hoping for a mistake, a trick of the light, but the words stayed the same. _What in the world is this letter supposed to mean? Who sent __it __and why? If this letter meant Professor Brook—I don't know anyone else with no ears—No, that's absurd, __h__e just invited me for a talk… Something about my parents... _Hoping he didn't look as terrified as he felt, he quickly tucked the letter into one of his books and began eating his pickled kipper in silence. But it was all Makoto needed to ask, "Is everything okay, Haru?"

_I can't let him, or Rin, know about the mysterious letter,_ Haruka thought.

"Yeah," he replied. "Father sent a note, asking me how I'm doing here so far." Makoto looked like he didn't believe him at all, but didn't press on about the letter; he scanned his class schedule instead and said excitedly, "Our first class today's Transfiguration, Haru!"

"We're classmates?"

"Yes. It says double Transfiguration, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, here."

"I see," Haruka said, getting his own schedule. He had four subjects for the day and two half-hour breaks until 5 PM. While he felt troubled, he was secretly relieved to be sharing Transfiguration with Makoto. At least he wouldn't be alone in his first class at Hogwarts.

"Aw, my first today is Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Rin. "I'd be sharing double Potions with you, Haru." He craned his neck and looked at the high table. "I wonder who teaches what? I just know Professor Snape, he's Head of my House, and Professor Weasley from last night."

Makoto, who was listening rapturously when Hermione introduced the teachers, smiled. "Professor Hagrid teaches Care of Magical Creatures. The man on the leftmost side is the Charms master, Professor Flitwick. The tall one in a cardigan is the Herbology teacher, Professor Longbottom. Uhm, I think the one with short gray hair is Madam Hooch, our Flying teacher, the one next to her is Professor Amakata for one of the electives, Literature. The one in yellow robes is Professor Egreggy for Art and Music, and the tall, thin man in his right is our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Brook. We also have Professor Binns, but"—his lips trembled slightly—"one of my older roommates said he's a ghost. I've seen Nearly Headless Nick and the others last night, but I was surprised about having a ghost as a teacher."

"A ghost teacher?" said Rin. "Nifty! I hope he's funny, not like the Bloody Baron. That one depresses me. I'll be meeting you guys here in the Great Hall by five, okay? I have to leave now."

As Haruka drained his twenty-first goblet of pumpkin juice for the day, he thought about Professor Brook once more. Fear surged through him. _There's something scarier than ghost teachers, Makoto_, he thought. _Living ones._

They finished their breakfast and searched the castle for their Transfiguration classroom, getting lost twice.

* * *

Haruka and Makoto watched silently as Hermione paced the room. She had written very long, complicated notes on the blackboard detailing the basics of Transfiguration. In a clear, compelling voice she said, "Transfiguration is a branch of magic that alters appearance and form. It is precise, complex, and dangerous. Diligence and hard work, patience and organization, precision and control are needed. I expect these things from you in this class."

"Yes, Professor," chorused the class. Makoto neatly wrote "Inanimate to inanimate — matches to needles" in his notebook. By the end of their lesson, he was among four students able to change their match into a pointy needle. (Haruka accidentally pulverized his.) The class wildly applauded when Hermione transfigured a teapot into a guinea pig. She assigned everyone to read pages 8 to 41 of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ for their next lesson and dismissed them.

Makoto was in a daze. "Professor Weasley is a very good teacher. I was really nervous at first, not knowing how we'd do in our classes, but she's kind, and I got five points for Gryffindor... But I wasn't expecting my match to transfigure at all. Haru? Haru, are you okay?"

"Huh? Ah, yeah. Stop fussing over me."

At lunch, Makoto noticed Haruka seemed a bit pale.

* * *

Haruka's second subject for the day was Potions with the Slytherins. As he and Rin walked together to the dungeons, he could not help overhearing his fellow Hufflepuffs' murmurs.

"_They say Snape can be very nasty—"_

"_They say Snape is a brave man. He's now on good terms with Auror Potter, isn't he?"_

"_No matter. I stayed up until 4 am reading _Magical Drafts and Potions _because I'm scared of him."_

Snape entered the room silently and began the roll call in a quiet, rigid voice.

For Haruka, Snape didn't quite look or act as nastily as the others were fearing. The man in flowing black robes had black, cold eyes, stringy, shouldered-length black hair interspersed with white, and a malicious tone in his voice as he began the day's lecture with "Potion-making is a subtle science and an exact art. I do not tolerate foolish, thoughtless wand-waving nor impertinent scamps in my class."

_He's just like Father,_ he thought. _Distant and cold… _He felt a sharp rap on his head and looked up. Snape was hovering over him menacingly. Some of the Slytherins sniggered.

"Nanase, is it not?" Snape said, snapping his register shut. "Five points from Hufflepuff. I told you to pair up with Matsuoka."

Haruka sullenly moved over to Rin's desk.

"Pull yourself together, Haru," Rin scolded in a low voice as they set up their cauldrons. They were to make a simple potion to cure boils. "Snape was calling you to stand up and you were just sitting there like you're having some fun fantasy."

"Shut it," Haruka replied. He began crushing snake fangs as Rin prepared horned slugs. Snape looked at their mixture when it was on its initial brew, and immediately left with a disgusted look on his face. Haruka looked around and saw Mike Hillthorne's robes on fire, and two Slytherin girls' cauldron shrinking and shrinking until it disappeared into thin air.

"Hey, Haru," said Rin as he added the slugs in. "What's your next class?"

He suddenly remembered, and fear came again. "Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Ooh, that's an awesome one! Professor Brook taught us Curse of the Bogies this morning. I bet I'd learn it fully by the weekend!"

"'Happy for you," said Haruka, sounding not happy at all.

"C'mon, don't be such a deadhead." Rin leaned closer to Haruka. "Can I borrow one of your books?"

"Didn't you buy all your books at Flourish and Blotts?"

"Well, yes. But, uhm, my copy of _The Standard Book of Spells_ got, uh, _wet_. So I left in my room to dry. I'd be having Charms later, so let me borrow yours." (In truth, his book was soused in nasal mucus, because he accidentally hit it while practicing the Bogies Curse.)

Haruka pulled out the book from his bag. "Return it to me at dinner." After an hour, they left the dungeons in low spirits, getting zero points for their potion—it had the consistency of mayonnaise and smelled strongly of cow urine.

It was not until Professor Brook entered the Defense of the Dark Arts classroom that Haruka realized the letter was missing from his bag. _I must have slipped it in my spells book this morning, the one I lent Rin. _He wanted to punch himself.

* * *

"Good afternoon," Haruka heard Brook greet the class, a Hufflepuff block. His scar and lack of ears made him look eerie even as he smiled pleasantly at them all. Brook was carrying a rusting, four-feet tall human automaton and a giant pail. As he adjusted the automaton so it sat properly on the table, he said, "Today, we will be doing a practical lesson so keep your quills and parchment. We'll be practicing Curse of the Bogies. Please bring it out your wands."

Haruka got his wand from his bag, which seemed to fascinate Cathy Grousedale, his seatmate. "What a handsome wand," she said, smiling at Haruka. "Ebony?"

"Yeah," Haruka said, looking away from her.

The day's lesson involved raising their wands and pointing it to the automaton, saying _Mucus ad Nauseam_. Their hand must move in a precise, circular way, and the words must be uttered clearly. If successfully executed, snot would run from the automaton's nose and drip into the pail. Everyone took a practice turn, and soon, the pail was almost full of mucus, and the Hufflepuff first years were flushed from glee, thoroughly enjoying the class. Even Haruka felt stirred when he was given ten points for making the automaton release a "snot waterfall" during his turn.

His fears were now laced with confusion and curiosity. The earless professor did not seem remotely dark or unpleasant at all. He even tirelessly moved around the room, laughing with students, adjusting their arms and listening closely to their words so they'd be able to properly do the spell. Did the owl send the letter by mistake? There must be other earless people in the world...

Also, whatever it was about his parents, he needed to know.

He felt stupid, but he decided he'd go and meet Brook at five. _I'd deal__ with Rin possibly reading the letter at dinner. __If__ I get away from the staffroom alive._

"Now you might want to ask," Brook said, as he waved his wand and the mucus vanished from the pail, "Why am I teaching you this spell on our first day of class? Well, here's your answer. You see, aside from giving your enemies a particularly runny nose"—the room erupted in laughter—"Curse of the Bogies can also come in handy when you don't like a certain class and would rather call in sick." He winked.

"You're giving me ideas, professor!" said Roig Yu, one of Haruka's roommates.

Brook laughed with the class. "I, of course, would advise against using that reason for my class, Roig," he said, smiling. "No, class, the real reason behind what I taught you today is this. This spell's arm movement is very similar to that of Expelliarmus. Can anyone please explain Expelliarmus to us?"

Cathy promptly raised her hand. "Expelliarmus is also known as the Disarming Spell, sir. Commonly used in duels, this defensive spell forces the attacked to release whatever they're holding, such as a wand. It is also used to block spells."

"Excellent answer, Miss Grousedale," beamed Brook. "Five points to Hufflepuff. Everything in this world, from the grandest house, the thickest book of knowledge, the greatest of wizards"—his look lingered on Haruka—"starts from the smallest. The _simplest_. It may be a stone, a word, or a basic spell, but as the pieces collect, things become stronger, wiser, and more powerful.

"The Curse of the Bogies is more a huge inconvenience than a real attack, but it is an effective method for self-defense, and can be helpful to you during your second year, when Expelliarmus is taught. Remember the arm movement." He looked at his watch. "Now, off you go. No homework for today."

The Hufflepuffs left with big smiles on their faces. Brook approached Haruka. "Do you still have class? I'm about to teach my last one for today."

"One more," Haruka said curtly. He grabbed his bag and made for the door, leaving Brook alone in the room with the automaton and the pail. He paused, then mumbled "I'll be at the staffroom, professor," before heading off to his Herbology class.

He didn't see Makoto and other Gryffindors entering the classroom for their turn with the Curse of the Bogies.

* * *

"But why would anybody hurt Haru? Why _would_ Professor Brook? There must be a mistake, he seemed a kind person..." Makoto's face was pale as milk. He found a very worried Rin waiting outside for him in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. DADA was his last class that day, and Rin's was Charms. Makoto was puzzled when Rin gave Brook a repulsed look; their class was very enjoyable and he found the professor funny and considerate.

Rin had pulled him into an abandoned room in the second floor and showed him the letter he found in Haruka's book. All joy Makoto felt from the snotty automaton was gone in an instant.

"All people seem kind to you, Makoto," Rin said, a hint of a grin in his distressed face. "But this is a matter of life and death for Haru. Look, Brook has no ears."

"So?" Makoto asked, bewildered.

"My roommate was right," Rin asserted. "He said it first when he saw Brook's tunnel-like ears. Keith said earless people can't be trusted!"

"Rin, please be reasonable," said Makoto gently. "Why would Hogwarts hire teachers who'd hurt students? Professor Brook probably had an accident or two before. He's a great Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, isn't he? I heard my roommate Seijuro say so, and besides, we've seen how he teaches today. He must have roamed the world and met strange creatures or conducted experiments that failed, that's why he looks the way he is now…"

"Oh, yeah? And what if he's not all too great like you're saying, Makoto? What if he strangles Haru in his sleep or something, huh?"

Makoto seemed to be on the verge of tears. "I don't know, but accusing someone of something like that is just—_wrong_, especially when we only have a piece of paper as a proof… I—wait, what do you plan to do, Rin?"

Rin fell silent. "I-uh, I'm not sure, actually. If only I know a real curse now, _that_ maybe, possibly, but I can't even get Curse of the Bogies right—"

"Rin!" Makoto said firmly. "That's a wrong way to deal with this kind of problem! I think… I think we need to go to Professor McGonagall and ask for advice. And protection. They'd be able to keep Haru safe while they investigate Professor Bro—"

"Brilliant," Rin said, nodding vigorously. He grabbed Makoto and sprinted toward one of the staircases. But Makoto pulled his arm away. "S-stop, wait. Do you _know_ where Professor McGonagall's office is?

"Um, no."

Makoto leaned against a painting of a singing flower, lost in confusion and distress for Haruka's safety. "It's ten minutes past five," he said, trying to sound calm even though he felt really frightened. "I'd ask the prefects tonight for Professor McGonagall's office. Or some of our professors tomorrow. We need to find Haru first and tell him what we know. We just need to keep an eye on him till he's safe in his common room. Come on, he must be waiting in the Great Hall by now for us, I know he is." _Please, Haru. Be safe_.

Haruka was not in the Great Hall, however. He was sitting rigidly on a rickety stool inside the staffroom, a large stone basin placed before him. Brook looked immensely pleased.

»o«

* * *

_Please see notes on John Brook, Hogwarts faculty, and the boys' schedules on the blog._


	9. Lake, River, and Sea

_Aguamenti_  
A Free! and Harry Potter Crossover

Part One  
Haruka Nanase and the Brook Pensieve

Chapter 9:

LAKE, RIVER, AND SEA

* * *

Makoto and Rin lost all color in their faces as they looked around the Great Hall. "Haru's not here," Makoto whispered as he skimmed the length of the Slytherin table where they all agreed to meet for dinner. "Not in Hufflepuff either."

"No. It means Brook got him!"

The thought of Haruka being hurt was too much for Makoto to bear. He did not, and would not, believe that they had gone this far from Japan just to be put into peril. "Maybe he took a dip in the lake," he said, fighting to keep his voice in control. _Haru did not even want to leave home, we just went here to learn magic, Uncle Hisoka said this is the best school…_

"Well, yeah, that could work, too. Haru and his weird habits with water—if we find him there, I'll clout him in the head for making us worry," Rin said with gritted teeth. "Let's go!"

The two boys broke into a run, ignoring a prefect's call of "It's almost dark, where are you two going?" until they reached the castle grounds and saw the lake, and they slammed into Hagrid's vast belly in their haste, seeing no sign of Haruka in the water.

"Haru!" Rin shouted. The lake lay still and silent.

"W-we're very sorry, Professor Hagrid," Makoto panted, clutching at his sides.

"'S nothing," Hagrid said, a twinkle in his beetle-black eyes. "Jus' call me Hagrid. Firs' years, eh? What's yer names?"

"I'm Makoto, Profe- I mean Hagrid, sir, and this is Rin."

"Be about ter go inside the castle for dinner. Why are yeh outside, lookin' fer someone?"

"Yeah, but I think he's gone back to the castle now," Rin lied, an idea in his head. "Please, Hagrid, do you know where Professor McGonagall's office is?

"Well, yes, o'course, 's in the seventh floor. Yeh gotta get past a large gargoyle in the halls, an' the password's _Devon Rex_—wait, why are yeh askin' me this?"

"Our friend Haru is very homesick and has been crying all day, wanting to get home," said Rin. (Makoto looked mortified at such a bad lie.) "We'd like to ask Professor McGonagall for advice. Thank you, Hagrid!"

Hagrid's expression softened as he gave Makoto and Rin a kind pat on the shoulders, and the boys nearly doubled over from the force of his large hand. "I miss me mum and dad, too. I 'spect Professor McGonagall's busy, but she will listen ter yeh, I know it. Now, get back ter the castle before dark, yeh hear me?"

"Yes, Hagrid. Thanks! Come, Makoto," Rin said. "I'm sure Professor McGonagall will be able to help us out with Haru's _problem_. And oh, Hagrid, what do you think of Professor Brook?"

Hagrid chuckled. "Yeh think John's a bit strange, don't yeh? Bin here fer years, an' I gotta say, he's one of the best professors fer Defense Against the Dark Arts we've had, and not a bad man too fer magical creatures an' firewhisky. Good man, Brook."

Makoto and Rin looked at one another.

* * *

"If we were quick enough, McGonagall should still be in her office and not in the Hall," Rin said as they reached a large gargoyle in the seventh floor. He held the letter from Haruka's book tightly in his hand.

Makoto nodded. "Devon Rex!" The gargoyle sprang to life and moved aside as the wall behind it split in two. They stepped onto a spiral staircase that moved smoothly upward in circles, higher and higher, until they saw an oak door. Makoto knocked softly, the door opened, and they entered the headmistress' office quietly.

The room was circular and spacious. In it were a large, claw-footed teak desk and high chair, where McGonagall was currently sitting, a thick heap of letters and parchment surrounding her ink and quill. Except for the many portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses lining up the walls and the letters, the place was very tidy and unadorned.

"Good day, Professor McGonagall," Makoto began, "I, w-we apologize for disrup—"

"Good day, Mr. Tachibana, Mr. Matsuoka," McGonagall said, peering at them from her square-shaped glasses, her hair drawn in a tight bun. If she was surprised or cross at all to see two first years barging unexpectedly in her office, her stern face gave no indication. "What brings you here?" She conjured two chairs and beckoned the two. "Sit."

"We want to talk to you about uh, something." Makoto looked nervously at Rin. "About Professor Brook and our friend, Nanase Haruka. I think — we think, Professor Brook, he's nice and he's a very good professor, really he is, we enjoyed our class today with him, professor — but there's something that we discovered, and, um, while it does not point directly to him, and the letter is unaddressed, we think that—"

"We think Brook can't be trusted, and he may attack Haru anytime," said Rin, handing McGonagall the letter. _There, I said it, _he thought. _Crickets, Makoto is kind and all, but he's such a wuss with these winded explanations, Haru could be dead before he even finished._

Makoto thought he saw a glint in McGonagall's eyes as she read the letter. "I'm afraid I will have to take this. I assure you it will be reviewed rigorously."

"Professor Brook—"

"Professor John Brook is a close confidant to the Nanases, as well as a greatly talented and trusted faculty of this school. He would never do harm to Nanase Haruka."

Makoto and Rin fidgeted in their seats, looking at McGonagall expectantly.

"Do you have any more concerns?"

"Is that it?" pressed Rin. "_Reviewed rigorously?_ That's all?"

"Please, professor," said Makoto. "What if something happens to Haru?"

McGonagall's lips looked thinner than usual as she gave Rin a look, but her eyes were warm and her voice became surprisingly gentle when she spoke to them. "I understand your concern for your friend. Nanase Haruka is in this school for a special reason. Rest assured, he is protected," she said calmly.

"But, professor—"

"As I said, Mr. Tachibana, Mr. Nanase's studying in Hogwarts—_Hogwarts,_ and not Mahoutokoro—for a reason. That is because Professor Brook is a teacher in this school. Now if you'd please. I have correspondence to attend to." Her eyes lingered on their windswept hair and unfastened, messy robes. "You may do well smartening yourselves up before dinner."

"I can't believe it," Rin said bitterly after they left McGonagall's office and climbed down the stairs. "What will she do exactly? Brook's friends with Haru's parents? Haru's here for a special reason, she says, but you'd think she'll actually explain herself, right? I mean, so at least we could help, too!"

But McGonagall's words and her action toward the letter had made Makoto think. He had heard from their prefects that McGonagall, despite being strict and austere, is protective and fair to students, and very loyal to Hogwarts. Surely, the headmistress of such a famous and respected wizarding institution would not simply disregard the safety of its students, if she could indeed see the immediacy and realness of danger. Maybe they're missing out on something...

"Rin, the letter says _Death awaits you in the earless man's hold, _right?"

Rin just grunted, which Makoto took as an affirmative.

"I think—I think we should give it another interpretation."

"Huh?"

"Death waits for Haru in Professor Brook's company. We thought it'd be _Haru's_ death, right? What if it isn't?"

* * *

In the staffroom, Brook beckoned Haruka to come closer.

"This, Haruka," Brook said, "is a pensieve. There are others like it in our world, but only a handful, I believe we have one in the headmistress' office. This one has been in my family's possession for two centuries."

Haruka stood from his stool and walked toward the professor. His legs were threatening to give out from dread, and a voice in his mind urged him to return to the Great Hall, to leave this place and instead be in the company of his friends again, no matter how annoying they could be, especially Rin. Yet, another part of him was seeking to find answers, advising him to stay, telling him to trust this man, to ask questions, to_ look_. He took a breath and peered closer.

The pensieve looked like a normal stone basin, shallow and circular, washed with blue, with strange silver symbols carved on its edges. There was something in it, silvery and bright, that he could not quite comprehend. It looked a bit like water. Only he knew it was not liquid—it was more like a cross between a cloud and wind, trapped and swirling smoothly. "What is it?" he asked.

"It is a _memory_, Haruka, the first among the ones your father have entrusted to me. One uses a pensieve to look down upon memories and remember or study them in detail. Through this, you may be able to see your parents' pasts." Brook smiled kindly, gesturing to the bottles lined up on his table, full of the same silvery stuff. "I knew you'd be just as quiet as Hisoka used to be, but I was thinking you'd at least ask who I was. I wonder, Haruka, how much do you know about me? Hisoka couldn't have told you."

_I got a letter this morning, something about you and death. _"I've only known you from here, Professor."

Brook chuckled. "That was why I suggested to Hisoka that I show you a memory of mine first, to let you know how he and I met, but it was your father's order to start with the most important memories. I guess a little story should suffice." He walked over to the pensieve, putting one hand just over the rim. "I owe my life to your father, Haruka. He had saved me twice.

"A year after my Hogwarts education, I wanted to travel the world to further my studies on Dark creatures. Japan was, to say the least, a very fascinating place for me, and I would always spend hours on the library studying yōkai of Japanese folklore. With some background information from a Hufflepuff schoolmate and close friend of mine, I packed my bags and went to Shimane. I almost got drowned on my first day there, tailing three wild, full-grown kappas on a river, if not for your father and Minoru, who happened to be passing by. That encounter in the river started our lifelong friendship."

Haruka frowned. He could never picture his father helping people, unless something consequential could be gained. _Maybe Uncle Minoru forced him to help Brook.  
_

"Oh," Brook said, "Hisoka prattled for hours how stupid I was after saving me, but you know, being the most brilliant wizard Japan has produced in recent years and having connections in your country, he helped me secure a residency at Mahotoukoro, and I was able to stay as a researcher, all expenses free, food and lodging. He was kind, your father, only he liked to hide that behind his thick glasses and scowls all the time."

_His father, kind?_ Haruka thought that maybe his ears were damaged from too much pool water.

"The friendship your father, Minoru, and I had built from that kappa attack was unfortunately tested sooner than I would have liked. I was much too careless and inexperienced—we were barely out of our teens then—and did not heed their advice on tackling an oni. I was clubbed to near death, my nose and wands were broken, I almost lost an eye, my ears were meat and had to be cut off. Magic, I realized as your father calmed down the creature with simple wand work, was more spiritual in places, more flowing and devotional, yet just as complex. Your father was the most talented diviner I have ever met, and I was witness to his love for you and your mother. I left Japan after four years with no ears and a broken face, but I had splendid, firsthand knowledge of Japanese magic, I escaped death twice, and I had great memories with friends."

Brook put a hand on Haruka's shoulder, voice dropping. "I need to stop now, as you need to see things for yourself. Go on, look into the pensieve. This first memory is Nerissa's."

Haruka nodded, but the onslaught of information was making his head pound painfully. Never before had his parents told him about magic, or their friends, or even much of their lives. And he's learning them all from this man, who claimed to have been saved from death by his father twice, which in itself did not seem believable enough. Haruka always thought his father had the compassion and friendliness of a grilling plate.

Still, he had to admit, a bigger part of himself—the one not shutting down Brook's words as rubbish—wanted to believe the professor. After all, he had nothing to lose if the man proved to be lying. _Only my life_, he thought numbly. He didn't understand a lot of things—why his parents sent him to Hogwarts, why they left, why his nightmares about water worsened when he and Makoto helped Hitomi, why someone sent him a letter that warned him of death. Maybe this basin would give him the answers he wanted without asking, and so he'd give it a try.

Besides, how much stranger could his life get? A year ago, he was simply a boy who greatly loved water. This memory thing being extracted from brains or something, it could not be more impossible than being a wizard, making pools boil, hats reading people's minds, or apparating into places, wasn't it?

Haruka's face touched the ethereal mist, and he felt like he was being siphoned into the depths of the pensieve. There was darkness, and he was spinning, and then there was a loud splash as he plunged deep into a sea, curiously not getting wet at all. He swam closer, lower, until his feet touched sand. Strange, human-like beings with translucent skin and sand, shells, and scales in their very long hair; limbs lithe and long, legs covered in crusted salt and lichen; and eyes as clear as colored glass, were clustered together over someone, a woman black-haired and blue-eyed.

His mother.

»o«

* * *

_Chapter postscript at derasorea dot wordpress dot com._


	10. The Brook Pensieve

_Aguamenti_  
A Free! and Harry Potter Crossover

Part One  
Haruka Nanase and the Brook Pensieve

Chapter 10:

THE BROOK PENSIEVE

_Three things_—_ First: I was on a coffee binge when I finished Part One's outline, and I was probably on my fifth cup while on this chapter. Second: It's canon that Haruka finds life, freedom, and answers in water. Third: Thanks for going this far into the story. It's the crux, it's about water, and it's crazy. It's Haru since his opening monologue._

* * *

Sunshine streaked through green-grey depths, illuminating the sea Haruka found himself in. He supposed he was somewhere very deep, but the light bounced against hundreds of pearl-and-coral turrets that rose against the sand and formed an immense tangle of dwellings, and he felt unsure. Was the warm, bright cast on everything just a play of the light? Was all this he was witnessing a trick of Brook in his mind? How was this world even within a _basin?_ The vast sea floor was alive with the most fantastic plants and animals he had seen yet. There were those that looked simply bizarre, like giant fish with gnarly teeth, firefly squid, moving stones, golden vines that were singing such a mournful but lovely tune, and a boulder-like creature that was driving away passing animals with its wails and violent shaking. But there were also familiar ones: sea turtles, flame and snow corals, sandeels, starfish, and schools of colorful fish swimming leisurely past or flitting in and out of tall seagrasses, trailing bubbles in their midst. He felt fascinated and at home in this strange place. Somehow, it all seemed familiar. The frustrating sensation he always felt when he's not around water was gone, too. Here he felt calm.

Maybe it was the effect of the pensieve, he thought, that he was able to breathe and walk underwater. He could not touch the water, and his school robes were dry. Maybe it was just a memory of a dream his mother had shared to him once. _Living under the sea._ When he was younger, they talked about it over miso and mackerel, laughing together. He would never forget how much his father became so angry at them for talking about, according to Hisoka, the impossible.

But the magical world had taught him a lot so far about the possibility of everything.

* * *

He approached his mother and the group of unearthly beings, passing by a group of surgeonfish but not breaking their formation at all, and the animals were seemingly unaware of his presence. "Mom," he called out softly, joy swelling inside him together with fear. He didn't care about the others. They looked human, but they had no real warmth in their glassy eyes, they had fin-like ears, plants and animals held on to their crystalline, bloodless skin, and they radiated varying levels of brightness, as if a very powerful energy source was in them. He had not seen his mother in months, and this may be the only time he could before his father took her away from him again. His questions would come later. She was all that mattered. "Mom, it's me—"

But Nerissa didn't even look his way. She was looking at the beings in front of her, ignoring Haruka completely.

"You, Nerissa the Black Wave, a former Salacian undine, will bring your son to the Order on his seventh day," one of the beings, Lamine, said to Nerissa. Lamine's hair was brown kelp braided ornately.

_Mom is a what?_

"My son, Haruka, is human, and this realm is not his place," Nerissa said, her eyes steely blue.

"The Ways state that we undines, water elementals and protectors of ocean and sea, of river and fen, of ice and steam, will only lose immortality and gain a soul once we rise to the surface, and live with a man and know life enough by bearing him one — a living, human child. The Ways never erred, we know this. An offspring of an undine and a human has always been a human. But your son, though born with flesh and bone like his father, has no soul even as you gained one. It is something that even the gods do not comprehend, a quandary that puts the Ways in precarious fate."

The light in Nerissa's eyes faded. "My son is _human,_" she repeated. "It's not been a week that I have given birth to him, his soul, surely, will manifest itself soon enou—"

"Nonsense. You very well know that humans are always born with a soul in them. He will be given to the Order, by command of the Sea King. You will bring him here on his seventh day, and leave for the surface with your mortal husband, never to return."

"I will not bring him here to just die!"

"Nerissa, surely you must understand. You and the mortal have disrupted life's cycle by producing a child with such an _affliction_. You have blurred the realms of both man and elemental by giving life to your child, who has no soul and no elemental powers. While the Ways state that all is one and one is all, a being cannot be both undine and human, nor can they exist and be nothing. You know this. You have known this for lifetimes, from when you guarded the night waters and those that crossed it. You have known this before you gave yourself to that human, and willingly lost your immortality and power as a Salacian undine. He has to be sacrificed. We can't take him even if we wanted to; we are forbidden, and our duty to nature comes first."

"T-the gods, I'll ask them to give my son a soul."

"This goes against the Ways! You cannot simply do such a thing! If people can have souls and life from the gods at their behest, then life itself will not be valued as it is valued by them. Do you not understand? You will ruin the balance of the world!" said Lamine.

"Have me die in his place, then. I'll give up my humanity. Let him have my soul and live, leave him and my husband be," Nerissa said calmly.

Lamine laughed, and yet her eyes were full of pity. "You will sacrifice your soul for an empty human shell? You have been human for less than a year, and yet you're as foolish now as most of them are. Death is the only way for your child, to bring back balance to the Ways, and you know this. You can always create another life—"

"Life is not simply created, Lamine", said Nerissa drily, "nor is it simply taken away. Still, I will abide by the Ways, as you say I must. I will take my son here on his seventh day."

* * *

_WHAT THE HELL. _Haruka felt like his skull was being crushed by a sledgehammer into pieces. "Mom!" he yelled, pushing past two of the undines, feeling scared and confused and desperate. Realizing the beings didn't even flinch as he barged through them, and seeing the looks they gave his mother — disdained, worrying, shocked — all focused only on her, it dawned on him. They couldn't see or hear him at all. This was really just a memory, something he was allowed to see, but could not be part of in a way he wanted to. Still, it was real. _Something about me having no soul and Mom, an undine… _A sharp burst of laughter caught in his throat, and the pain in his head racked throughout his body.

He watched as his mother raised herself to the water's surface in a wave of her hand, and he attempted to do the same. No use. He tried swimming, but the sea was fading into darkness… he couldn't carve an opening, and he couldn't actually feel the water, everything was swirling very fast... And then suddenly he was at the porch of their house in Iwatobi, walking behind Nerissa. The front door opened, and there was Hisoka, smiling warmly at his wife, carrying a three-day old, black-haired baby in his arms.

* * *

They both looked so different, Haruka thought, hurrying inside the house after his mother. His father and him. It felt strange seeing his tiny self. He was so quiet even as a baby, he thought, a bit amused, before realizing why: he didn't have a soul inside him like what the kelp lady Lamine said. Hisoka had his perpetual look of worry on his face, but he looked more youthful: his hair was not streaked with gray yet, and his eyes were not too dead, nor his face so stern.

Knowing his mother was a former water spirit that gave birth to a soulless boy was a shock enough, but Haruka couldn't be more prepared at what he's seeing in their living room now. Inside the house, together with his parents, were Minoru, Brook, and Coach Sasabe, whose wands were all drawn out. Natsuki was also there, pregnant and flushed. They all were in their early twenties, and a determined expression was upon their faces. Brook's eye scar was still fresh, and he had more hair that hid his flapless ears. Minoru, without his glasses, looked exactly like Makoto. Goro was wearing a lurid green polo shirt with yellow grape patterns on it.

His coach. His former swimming coach, energetic and bumbling Goro Sasabe, who liked pizzas and magazines, was a wizard and was friends with his and Makoto's parents. Haruka felt certain his skull had already cracked; his brain must have swelled from all he was knowing.

"They kept mentioning the Ways," Haruka heard his mother say to everyone. "Lamine said Haru will be sacrificed to keep balance, as if the boy has any hand in what happened. If I still had my full undine power, the gods know what I would have done. I will plead with the Sea King if I must. I will go again tomorrow. There must be another way!"

"Sit, Neri," Hisoka said. "Don't strain yourself, please. It's been three days—"

"Indeed. Three days after I gave birth to our son, and now, they're taking him away. I have had several lifetimes of immortality, but never happiness… This, the both of you, you are all I need. And they're taking Haru away. How do they think are we supposed to act on their order? Just accept and hand him over to die? Did they think we deliberately attempt to create a soulless child? _Even_ Haruka's life, despite my bargain, they're taking him—" She cried into Hisoka's arms, grazing baby Haruka's forehead softly with her own.

"Then we will proceed with my plan," Hisoka said calmly.

"What plan?"

Hisoka hesitated. "Neri, I will transfer my soul to Haruka's body." He didn't look or sound desperate, nor afraid. He spoke as if this was simply the rational step they needed to take, and he looked down on baby Haruka with love. "I want him to live."

Nerissa pulled back, a look of pure horror in her eyes. "But — no, you cannot… Letting go of your soul violates the Ways of nature in itself — and how — ?"

Hisoka smiled sadly. "The people's title of me as Japan's greatest wizard will be for naught, if I can't even use my magic to save our son." He pointed to the center table. On it was the Brook Pensieve, together with an assortment of bottles with silvery-white stuff in them — the bottles Haruka saw on the staff room table. "I have extracted my most important memories, which I wish for Haru to see someday. Neri, after I give my soul to him, you will leave for Minoru and Natsuki's house. I will find a place to stay. John and Goro will go with me. I will not be dead as long as my heart and brain function, but I cannot be with you and Haru. It will not be easy to explain to him, will it, having a father with no soul. You just say I died. It will be better if I were dead. I will lose my sense of self, my memory, everything."

"H-how will you do it exactly?"

"I have discussed this with Minoru and John yesterday. I have evoked spirits and souls of the dead before, but never have I done magic of this degree. The plan is, I will anchor my soul to his body the same way horcruxes — dark, powerful objects, Neri — hold pieces of a human soul. But not with murder — I will take no life, even my own, I will just summon my soul away from my body. It is tricky, dangerous, and may be fatal for me and Haru, but it is the only way magic will permit my soul to latch on to anywhere else. The first fundamental Magical Law states that tampering with the deepest mysteries — the source of life, the essence of self — can only be done if one is prepared for consequences of the most extreme and dangerous kind. I can die, Neri, you must know this, or face something worse than death, for committing something of this extent.

"I do not know for sure how much of my soul will be maimed and broken, but since I'll ever do it once, I hope it will reach his body in good form. Even then, and no books of magic have expounded on this — there is no assurance that his body will not reject the transfer. There is no known case of a human body encasing another person's soul, except for Harry Potter of Britain. But he held only a fragment of somebody else's soul together with his own. Mine can feed off Haru's life energy and assimilate itself to his body completely, it may act independently, I do not know. Gods, we don't even know why exactly Haruka has no soul, but if doing this offers the possibility of a normal and healthy human life for him, I will do it. And I will do it alone, because if I kill our child in the process, it becomes my sin only.

"Everyone in this room has agreed to make an Unbreakable Vow with me, that if the plan becomes successful and I lose my humanity, they will be there for you and Haruka, and no word of this will ever be known. Breaking the terms will result in death. We made the Vow after you left to meet with the Salacian undines."

Everyone in the room was staring apprehensively at Nerissa, as if expecting her to break down any moment from the grimness of Hisoka's words. However, she only said quietly: "And if you survive?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if, Hisoka? What if you still retain a big part of your soul and Haru lives to be a human?"

"I don't know. My divining will weaken, certainly, and I may have to give up magic. It's not a problem at all if it happens, but as I told you, it is a very delicate, unsure situation."

Nerissa said nothing for a while; she sat in the couch and looked at everyone in silence, traces of disbelief, and fear, and then understanding on her face. "Humans really are different."

Goro blinked. "What? That's Hisoka's idea alone. We'll help of course, you are our friends, after all, but guy's plain weirder than all of us in this room, if you ask me, so don't get the wrong idea that we all are fully with him losing his soul like that, although of course it'd not be lost, just on Haru's body... Hisoka's always been a bit different, and that's saying a lot, because you're a bit, um, special yourself, heh heh —" Nobody laughed, and Brook gave him a disapproving look as if to say: "You _really_ have to say that now?"

But Nerissa gave him a smile. "This force, this mysterious force that foils even the Ways _— _it's more special than living eternally or dying. Love. Humans' pureness of heart and soul, the power that even the greatest of elementals will never know. I only ever felt it completely after my soul was gifted to me."

"Oh," Goro said. "Yeah, that… yeah."

"And this is why I can't let you do what you want, Hisoka. You are not to give your soul to Haru alone. I'll also share mine."

Hisoka looked at his wife reprovingly, shock clear on his face. "Neri, that's foolishness. If you love our son, and me as well, at least let me go alone. You don't have to do this. Haru needs you."

"But we need you as well. I _will_ share your burden, Hisoka."

"But if it goes horribly wrong, if our halfsouls do not latch fully to his body— at least let me die alone, Nerissa, you have sacrificed yourself enough!"

"In my lifetimes being the Black Wave, I have seen great ships sail into the waters, trusting even gales and darkness will be in favor with their journey. And I will do the same. Now get on to working and prove to everyone here that I married the most brilliant wizard in this country."

"What will the elementals do when they find out?" Hisoka asked.

"The Ways state that elementals are not to trifle with humans. They were only keen on taking Haru away because he's both human-undine _and _not human or undine at all, disrupting the balance and separation between the two realms. Make your plan work, Hisoka. If our son becomes fully human, they will not have a reason to hurt him."

"Even if I deliberately challenge the Ways with my magic?"

"I-I don't know. They only gave death as an option. The gods would easily take a life, but not bestow one..."

There was a pause, and Hisoka spoke. "If it works, and if we get to live with our son, it will be enough for me. Even if it means living as a broken man, and going into hiding. I'm afraid we'll have to stay away from the sea."

"No problem," said Nerissa, smiling. "Haru and I can always swim in the pool."

His parents' voices faded. Haruka looked around. The room was dissolving around him fast, and he was spinning round and round into nothingness. He thought he heard a baby cry as he was sucked into darkness once again.

* * *

"Haru," Haruka heard Makoto call, and he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Surprised, he felt like he was rising into the air, and steadied himself as he returned to the familiar interior of the staff room, the pensieve's contents swirling in front of him. Makoto was behind him, while Rin was across him from the table, thrashing around and being restrained by Professor Brook.

"We've been all over the castle looking for you, and here you are, just poking your head into things," Rin grumbled. "Makoto was worried sick, did you know?"

"I'm sorry, Haruka," said Professor Brook. "These boys were breaking into the gargoyle by the door and I let them in. Now Matsuoka, you promised to calm down if I let you inside, so quit moving around, please."

"I-I'm not human," Haruka said weakly.

"Of course, you're not," yelled Rin. "You're a stupid slugbrain and I'll knock your head and your letter into that basin, you — wait, what?"

"What did you see in the basin, Haru?" asked Makoto gently.

Haruka looked at his friends and struggled to compose himself. Makoto, who he had been friends with for so long, who knew everything about him, did Makoto know of his abnormality, too? Was he instructed by his parents to keep mum about it because of the Vow? Maybe it's why he's always putting up with him... And Rin, it hadn't even been a full week that he knew Rin. He was loud, and brash, but he seemed pretty clever. What would he do if he discovered his secret? Would he mock him for it? Would he still want to be friends?

He now understood why his parents left him. Something about the sea and the pearl necklace triggered them to leave, and they sent him here to meet Brook and know more of their lives. But what he discovered, he could not simply tell Makoto and Rin. How was he supposed to tell people he was born without a soul, and his parents sacrificed each half of their souls for him? That his mother was a former water spirit that gave up immortality to be human? That his father could actually separate a soul from a body? He could not even fully believe yet that all these years, Hisoka had been cold to him because he'd been internally unstable and not too human. His father had loved him all along...

"I'm a mackerel," he said.

"Huh?" Rin and Makoto gazed at him in utter confusion, and Makoto looked especially worried.

"The pensieve shows people's desires," he lied, pointing to the basin. "In it, I saw myself as a mackerel, swimming together with a large school of mackerel."

"Um, okay," said Makoto.

"Seriously? said Rin. "Like we would believe that."

"Then don't," Haruka said sourly. "I'll be leaving, Professor Brook. Thank you for your time."

"There are other memor—" Brook began, but Haruka cut him off. "I know. I'll be back."

The three boys left the staff room with Haruka leading the way. His head still pounding painfully because of his mother's memory, he vaguely heard Rin and Makoto sharing to him their consultation with McGonagall and Hagrid being nice. All he could think about was the Brook Pensieve and how he _was_ water.

»o«

* * *

_In Chapter 11: BROOMSTICK BLUES, the Rinharu rivalry begins. Chapter 10 postscript at derasorea dot wordpress dot com (see bio).  
_


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